Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been told this season “will end up as an embarrassment for the players” should they miss out on top four.

Ten Hag joined the Red Devils last summer and has enjoyed a pretty successful maiden campaign in the Premier League.

After a shaky start, wins against Liverpool and Arsenal got United’s season up and running and it is clear to see the improvement on the pitch in comparison to last season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

Ten Hag led his side to Carabao Cup glory in February when many people believed they were in the title race alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.

However, form has dipped since ending their six-year trophy drought, with their position in the top four now on the line with four games remaining.

Finishing outside the top four would be a disaster considering the fact United looked like a shoo-in to finish third at worst, but it could definitely happen with Liverpool enjoying their best run of form this term.

And ex-United defender Paul Parker has explained what it would mean should his former side finish outside the Champions League places.

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He believes Ten Hag will feel more disappointment than the players, who won’t really be bothered.

“I think it would be a major disappointment for the club to miss out on the top four,” Parker told indiabetting. “But I think it will affect Erik ten Hag even more if he is anything that I suspect that he is. He seems ambitious and to achieve Champions League football would be amazing.

“Right now, we can’t say that the manager has achieved great things.

“The trophy itself in the Carabao Cup doesn’t mean much to the club to be perfectly honest. I also don’t think that he cares about that, he is bigger than that trophy.

“Erik ten Hag will be more disappointed than the players, especially because I personally don’t think it will bother the players that much.

“But from a club point of view, the financial aspect and so on it will be a major disappointment.”

Parker then went on to say that the Carabao Cup win has papered over the cracks and that this season will be “an embarrassment” if United finish outside the top four.

“I think we already saw in the League Cup final but Man United won that one and victories cover over cracks, so people didn’t really talk about it. After that League Cup final, everything has been poor.

“So, Erik ten Hag has definitely overachieved and everything that he can do now is…to hope, actually. Hope that the players he can count on will perform in the next games, and here I’m talking about Casemiro, (Christian) Eriksen and (Victor) Lindelof.

“Maybe he needs to get some younger players into the team because they are hungry and want to win something despite their lack of experience.

“If that happens, Man United should get 12 points in the last four games, otherwise this season will end up as an embarrassment for the players.”

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