Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will hope a battling draw at Aston Villa will relieve the fierce scrutiny of his position.
The club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in attendance at Villa Park to see United at least show some of the resilience that was missing in the collapse at home to Tottenham and the defensive solidity lacking in Porto in the Europa League.
Ten Hag turned to the veteran duo of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans to add some steel, although he lost the England defender to injury right on half-time.
Marcus Rashford twice tested Villa keeper Emi Martinez while United captain Bruno Fernandes came closest with a second-half free-kick that bounced back off the bar at the Holte End. Substitute Antony also forced Martinez into an acrobatic save from long range.
United keeper Andre Onana was relatively untroubled, although he did well to athletically push away a power drive from Villa midfield man Youri Tielemans.
Ten Hag must now hope Ratcliffe and the rest of United’s watching hierarchy saw enough to keep faith with the Dutchman, although this draw means they are still five games without a win.
Manchester United simply had to avoid defeat at Aston Villa to ensure the focus on manager Ten Hag did not become more intense, perhaps to the point where the Old Trafford hierarchy felt it was time for a change.
It was hardly a sparkling performance, indeed for long periods this game was bogged down in a morass of mediocrity, but at least United fought for their manager and had the better opportunities to win.
Ten Hag’s quest for defensive solidity after shambolic performances against Spurs and Porto saw him turn to 36-year-old Evans and Maguire as his central defensive partnership with Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez dropped.
The pair performed creditably, especially Evans – despite losing Maguire alongside him at the interval.
Villa were kept at arm’s length throughout as United showed increased discipline against Unai Emery’s side, always formidable at home, as Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich found out in the Champions League.
Ten Hag will be satisfied with what he saw and may feel aggrieved United did not collect more than a point, especially when Fernandes beat Martinez with a fine free-kick, only to see it strike the woodwork.
United’s top brass will now have time to take stock in the international break, which they will go into on the back of a decent result before they return to Premier League action against Brentford at Old Trafford.
