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24 hours from now, the picture will become clearer for Erik ten Hag in terms of where his Manchester United future is heading.
It is set to be a huge game in the context of his position at the club, as pressure continues to grow on the Dutchman at Old Trafford.
United have won just three of their opening nine matches of the season in all competitions and are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag Man United future LIVE - Sir Jim Ratcliffe's verdict amid sack pressure
READ MORE: Everything Ratcliffe, Ashworth and Berrada have said about Erik ten Hag at Manchester United
By contrast, they travel to a Villa side on Sunday who have just beaten Bayern Munich in the Champions League and are riding high in the top half of the Premier League table.
Ahead of that game, and with the latest on Ten Hag's future in mind, here is a look at the key Manchester United headlines on Saturday, October 5.
United hierarchy 'set for crunch talks'
Manchester United's hierarchy are reportedly scheduled to meet in London within 48 hours of Sunday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa amid uncertainty over Erik ten Hag's future.
Now, in a report by The Athletic, it is claimed the decision-makers at the club will meet in London after United's away game to Villa. It's said the club's executive committee have a long-standing meeting in the diary penned-in for Tuesday with Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and co-chairman Joel Glazer all expected to be in attendance.
A call on Ten Hag's future will come from the ownership at United with a three-person committee formed of Ratcliffe, Glazer and Brailsford. The report states that a conclusion would be made based on recommendations from those on the ground.
Read the full story, here.
Fernandes sets record straight
Bruno Fernandes has broken his silence on his Instagram page after back-to-back red cards for Manchester United.
"Tough moment as a team and personally for me, one of the hardest," he said. "Almost 5 years at the club with ups and downs, good and bad moments.
"Personally, I have always had challenges and adversities throughout my career and something that’s never happened was that I go silent or hide myself from responsibilities in difficult moments.
"I know it sounds cliche and most of you United fans will be tired of it, but no one is more disappointed than myself with my own moment. Even through this moment, I appreciate all of you that had positive messages of belief in me and the team."
Read the full story, here.
Emery could condemn Ten Hag
the sound of the clock ticking is unavoidable and if things go badly again in the Midlands this weekend then Ashworth, Wilcox, Omar Berrada, Sir Dave Brailsford and Sir Jim Ratcliffe should be able to glance down from the posh seats and see exactly why a plea for more time should fall on deaf ears.
Ten Hag has had that time. He is into his third season at United. Sunday will be his 125th game in charge and more than £600m has been lavished on players in three summer windows. Yes, his job hasn't been easy. There has been an injury crisis and off-field distractions, but it should still be better than the grim roll call of statistics that have filled social media feeds since Thursday night.
If he presides over another defeat on Sunday, then the handshake with Unai Emery at full-time will be painful. Emery is the leading example of why time shouldn't always be required and might not be the answer.
The Spaniard arrived at Villa Park in November 2022, three months after Ten Hag's first game in charge of United. His first game was in charge was a 3-1 success against United but Emery lost six of his first 12 games as Villa boss after inheriting a side lacking a style under Steven Gerrard.
But having taken over a side 16th in the Premier League, Emery took Villa to a final placing of seventh. The following season they rose to fourth and reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League. This term, they are fifth and have just beaten Bayern Munich to make it two wins out of two in the Champions League.
While Villa are on a continuous path of improvement under Emery and have been since the first couple of months of his tenure, United look to be in reverse under Ten Hag. They have won just 27 of 62 games since the start of last season.
Read Tyrone Marshall's full column, here.