Aston Villa v Manchester United LIVE: Team news and line-ups from Premier League fixture today

Erik ten Hag remains confident he has the backing of Manchester United’s hierarchy and that improvements are on their way after a problematic night in Porto intensified talk about his position.

The 54-year-old’s future is the subject of widespread discussion just three months after Ineos committed to the Dutchman, extending his contract following an in-depth post-season review.

The Dutchman brings his United side to Villa Park today with intense speculation on his position after a desperate start to the season.

Defeat against Villa, who are on a high after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League, would send Ten Hag closer to the edge.

A new centre-half pairing for Erik ten Hag, with the Manchester United manager the experience of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans at the back.

Manchester United XI: Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Evans, Dalot; Eriksen, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.

A handful of changes to the Aston Villa side that beat Bayern Munich, with Matty Cash, Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey all promoted from the bench.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Philogene, Barkley, Tielemans; Bailey, Watkins, Rogers.

Harry Maguire says Manchester United have to stick together as “everyone piles on” under-fire boss Erik ten Hag and his team ahead of Sunday’s crunch trip to Aston Villa.

The misfiring Red Devils are in desperate need of a shot in the arm after last weekend’s 3-0 home humbling at the hands of Tottenham was compounded in Portugal on Thursday.

United blew a two-goal lead away to Porto and were staring down the barrel of defeat in the Europa League until super-sub Maguire’s thumping stoppage-time header snatched a 3-3 draw.

When one prominent football figure caught a glimpse of the Manchester United dressing room recently, they immediately recognised a scene they had seen from rival clubs. That was a squad that “doesn’t know what next” and feels like it’s “going nowhere”. It isn’t intentional, of course, but is a feeling that starts to grip a group when there’s no sense of clarity.

“It’s like purgatory,” was the phrase. That description is all the more apt, given how the 3-3 draw at Porto represented another back and forth, amid this widespread wonder over what the club will do with Erik ten Hag.

Erik ten Hag may regret his choice of words. In saying on Sunday that he was not worried he would be sacked, the Dutchman stated he was “in the same boat” as Manchester United’s owners. It brought suggestions the vessel in question was the Titanic or some other sinking ship. Any Porto in a storm? It looked that way when United went 2-0 up in Portugal on Thursday, less so when they were 3-2 and a man down. An eventual 3-3 draw nevertheless means Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa assumes colossal proportions. A fourth defeat in six league matches would cast further doubt on Ten Hag’s assertion this week that United would make their season a success.

Ten Hag’s future is the subject of widespread discussion just three months after Ineos committed to the Dutchman, extending his contract following an in-depth post-season review.

But the afterglow of May’s FA Cup win against Manchester City has long since faded, with Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat at Tottenham compounded four days later as United blew a two-goal lead against Porto in the Europa League.

Hello and welcome along to The Independent’s live coverage of Aston Villa vs Manchester United in the Premier League. The visitors arrive in desperate need of a faith-restoring victory as manager Erik ten Hag edges ever closer to the sack, a last-gasp draw in the Europa League doing little to bolster his side’s confidence.

Aston Villa, by contrast, enjoyed their midweek outing, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in a performance that evoked memories of the club’s greatest European night. Kick off is at 2pm BST.