A body language expert has claimed Erik ten Hag appears to be entirely devoid of confidence after Man United’s dismal start to the campaign.
United welcomed Spurs to Old Trafford on Sunday off the back of a disappointing draw with Dutch side FC Twente in midweek.
Victory over Ange Postecoglou’s side could have served as the launching pad for the club’s season but any hopes of a reversal in fortunes were promptly dashed as the visitors raced into an early lead through Brennan Johnson.
Ten Hag’s evening went from bad to worse after Bruno Fernandes saw red for the first time in his United career after a clumsy challenge on James Maddison.
Reduced to ten men United would remain on the back foot throughout the second half, and Spurs added to their tally with goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, with a number of saves from Andre Onana preventing an even heavier defeat.
A body language expert has claimed Erik ten Hag is aware that his days at Man United are numbered
United slumped to a humiliating 3-0n defeat against Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday
Club captain Bruno Fernandes saw red for the first time in his United career for a clumsy challenge on the brink of the interval
Speaking following the game Ten Hag claimed Fernandes’ sending off was a turning point in the game and that insisted that he does not feel his position at the club is at risk.
However, according to body language expert Darren Stanton his defiant post-match comments belied his true feelings surrounding his future.
‘He’s definitely a man who’s looking to be put out of his misery or is expecting to be taken off to the butcher’s shop,’ Stanton told BoyleSports, who offer the latest Premier League betting.
‘He looks ready to call it a day — he looks like a broken man. He looks like he’s lost all confidence in himself and his ability to pull it back.’
Stanton added that despite appearing positive regarding his future, Ten Hag’s frustrations were evident on his face after the game, comparing the manager to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
‘In isolation, the eyes are the main key to spotting when someone has an internal emotion of anger even though he’s trying to mask his feelings,’ Stanton added.
‘You can see it in close quarters. You have these two furrow lines. Rishi Sunak used to show these quite a lot at PMQs when he was on the ropes. Principally this is not a happy guy at all. He looks like he feels he’s been thrown under a bus, really.
‘He’s showing contempt for a number of reasons. He’s in this position because he feels like he’s not been listened to and people aren’t doing as they’re told.
Spurs continued to run riot after the restart thanks to goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke
Ten Hag faced the media after the defeat but insisted he did not feel that his job is at risk
‘He’s got a lot of anger swirling around and this anger continues to increase.’
In his analysis Stanton also claimed the Dutchman appears to be determined not to shoulder the full weight of responsibility for United’s stumbling start to the campaign.
He added: ‘He does feel some sense of responsibility for the situation but I think he doesn’t hold himself responsible as a full shame gesture would be head down and then a sweep to the left or the right, which we’ve seen from other managers.
‘Whereas here he drops his head down and it’s like a bow, like when people go to court and they want to show contrition.
‘The key emotions here though are that he is deeply angry and fed up with certain individuals. He also keeps gritting his teeth. That causes his right jawbone to clinch due to stress and anxiety. It was a painful interview for him.
‘When the reporter asks a really challenging question, he really goes to town and goes into a state of cognitive overload. He’s really cheesed off so we see an array of prolonged eye contact and anger and the key for me is his shoulders.
‘Some people will sometimes shrug their shoulders but that increases throughout the interview. By the end he’s almost like he’s a laughing policeman. He’s shrugging his shoulders so much and that’s anxiety and frustration at wanting to get away from the situation.
‘When you zoom in on his press conference, he flashes lots of sadness through micro expressions. The only reason why he’s flashing sadness is for himself. So he thinks he feels he’s on the way out.’
However Darren Stanton claimed the Dutchman’s body language proves he is well aware of his precarious position
He added that the manager is refusing to take sole responsibility for United’s dismal start
After qualifying for Europe in spectacular fashion with an FA Cup final win over bitter rivals Manchester City in May, Ten Hag must now navigate a congested fixture schedule while his position at the club appears increasingly tenuous.
The first challenge will come in the form of a visit Portuguese giants Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.
Vitor Bruno’s side are riding a wave of momentum having lost just one of their opening seven league games and will be looking to heap further misery on United at the Estadio do Dragao.
Just three days later United return to domestic action against an Aston Villa side that will be looking for a rebound of their own after being held to a draw against newly-promoted Ipswich on Sunday.