Ally McCoist warns Man Utd owners they could be making 'madness' decision

Ally McCoist insists it would be absolute "madness" for Manchester United to part ways with Erik ten Hag amid their woeful start.

Erik ten Hag is staring down the barrel as United's joint-worst Premier League start sees them languishing in 13th place after a string of losses, including crushing 3-0 defeats at home to both Liverpool and Spurs.

With Ten Hag on thin ice, pivotal matches against Porto and Aston Villa loom large; results from these games could dictate his future at Old Trafford before the upcoming international break.

Despite numerous calls for Ten Hag's dismissal and a fresh face at United's helm, pundit and ex-Rangers ace McCoist believes such a move won't address the deep-seated issues plaguing the team.

Speaking to talkSPORT BET, McCoist pondered over United's commitment to Ten Hag: "It's difficult to say how long United should give Ten Hag, because they've only just extended his contract. With the new owners giving him that new deal, it would make sense for them to stick with him no matter what happens in the foreseeable future.

"It would be madness to give him a new contract and then get rid of him straight away, that wouldn't make any sense whatsoever."

McCoist concluded with a degree of optimism for Ten Hag's tenure: "Unless there's a rapid and unbelievable decline in results and standards, I think Ten Hag will be in charge at least until Christmas."

Despite his support for Manchester United sticking with Erik ten Hag, Ally McCoist has voiced concerns over the evident quality gap between the Red Devils and the Premier League's leading teams.

"Manchester United have been one of the most disappointing sides in the Premier League this season," McCoist remarked. "They were outclassed by Liverpool, beaten by Brighton, and already after just five games we've seen for definite that they've got no chance of winning the league.

"Their best hope of winning something this season is in one of the cups, that's where they are at the moment.

"They have to start improving. From the manager's point of view, the performances need to improve and they need to start taking points off those sides higher up the table.

"There's no doubt that both the performances and results need to improve. United are a club that has to be taking three points off the rest of the teams outside the big six on a consistent basis.

"They always get beaten by Manchester City and Liverpool, and Arsenal will probably beat them this season. The most worrying thing for me is the gulf in class that was so apparent in their loss to Liverpool."