Sir Jim Ratcliffe asked three key questions in Man Utd board meeting where Erik ten Hag's future was discussed

Sir Jim Ratcliffe asked three key questions of Manchester United's board members at a meeting which saw Erik ten Hag's future discussed, it has been reported.

Ten Hag has come under growing scrutiny after overseeing United's worst start to an English top flight season since 1989.

His side have picked up just eight points from their first seven matches, and have suffered 3-0 home defeats to both Liverpool and Tottenham.

While The Athletic reported after the Spurs defeat that United would take a 'long-term view' over Ten Hag's future, draws to Porto and Aston Villa last week perhaps didn't give the Dutchman the boost he would have been looking for.

On Tuesday, United executives - including Ratcliffe and majority co-owner Joel Glazer - held an in-person, seven-hour meeting about club matters.

On the agenda was Ten Hag's future, though no public comment has been made about the outcome of those talks.

As it stands, Ten Hag is due to take charge of United's Premier League clash against Brentford next Saturday.

According to The Independent, Ratcliffe pitched three key questions to the meeting's attendees about whether they should replace the current men's team manager.

His first query was surrounding why Ten Hag should stay in charge at Old Trafford after two full seasons at the helm.

The second was to ask why the club should persist with their current manager amid the growing pressure on him.

And the third saw Ratcliffe ask why other candidates may be more suitable to take over from him.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe pictured watching Man Utd's 0-0 draw vs Aston Villa with other club executives - Getty

The Manchester Evening News reported earlier this week that United had lined up Thomas Tuchel as a potential successor should they decide to part company with Ten Hag.

But the former Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich boss has held talks with England over replacing Gareth Southgate, according to BILD's Christian Falk.

Speaking to BBC Sport earlier this month about Ten Hag's future, Ratcliffe insisted that it was not his call to make over whether to sack the Dutchman.

He said: "I like Erik. I think he's a very good coach. But at the end of the day, it's not my call.

"It's the management team that's running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different aspects."