Only one key Erik ten Hag ally set to keep job if Sir Jim Ratcliffe sacks Man Utd manager

Only one member of Erik ten Hag's coaching staff is in line to remain at Manchester United if he is sacked by the club, according to a new report.

Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford is rumoured to be in doubt amid a challenging season that is seeing the club battle to qualify for Europe.

United have lost 13 games this season, with the latest of those a heavy 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Despite the side being in the midst of an injury crisis, the scale of the defeat did nothing to improve Ten Hag's prospects of staying at the club next season.

And according to the Daily Mirror, United are considering major changes to the first team coaching staff if minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS decide to part company with the Dutchman.

It is claimed that a departure for Ten Hag could lead to his entire coaching staff also leaving the club - except for one key figure.

Assistant manager Steve McClaren is expected to stay on at the club regardless of who is in charge next season, with the former England boss reportedly seen as 'someone who INEOS can continue to work with in any new managerial regime'.

The 63-year-old re-joined United following Ten Hag's appointment in the summer of 2022.

McClaren was assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999 and 2001, where he was part of the treble-winning coaching staff and established a reputation as one of the top young coaches in the country.

He left Old Trafford to start his own managerial career, and guided Middlesbrough to the UEFA Cup final in 2006 before replacing Sven Goran Eriksson as England boss.

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Despite his failures with the Three Lions, McClaren bounced back by winning a shock Eredivisie title with FC Twente.

In 2014, he returned to England with Derby, leading the Rams to the Championship play-off final, before mixed spells with Newcastle, a second stint at Derby, and Queens Park Rangers.

Speaking upon his return to United in 2022, he told the club's official website: "It's a club that's always been in my heart and I think that, once you work for Manchester United in any capacity, that always stays in your blood.

"It has done since the first time I arrived here. It's stayed, and I'm so excited to be able to come back and help in whichever way I can to help this club get back to winning trophies."