CHRIS WHEELER: A soft touch at home and with players devoid of direction, Man United are going backwards… If Erik ten Hag isn’t in hell yet, he’s certainly feeling the heat

Welcome to Hell. Three words that have been synonymous with meetings between Manchester United and Galatasaray since these clubs first crossed swords thirty years ago. Just not at Old Trafford.

But as Erik ten Hag walks towards the home dugout on Tuesday evening before United’s Champions League match against the Turkish team, he could be forgiven for feeling a deep sense of unease.

The crescendo of boos after Crystal Palace inflicted United’s latest defeat will still ring in his ears. The fans will be behind him again, but they are getting restless.

Ten Hag now has two home games before the international break – against Galatasaray and Saturday against Brentford – to get his side back on track in what is shaping up to be a dangerously turbulent season and prevent the crisis from spiraling out of control.

United have made their worst start since Sir Alex Ferguson fought to save his job 34 years ago. Four defeats in the first seven Premier League games have put pressure on Ten Hag.

A 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday condemned United to their worst start to the season in 34 years

United had easily beaten Palace in the Carabao Cup four days earlier, but could not repeat the trick in the competition

Add to that the Champions League loss to Bayern Munich when United opened their Group A season in Germany and the picture doesn’t get any better.

It is not a scenario that Ten Hag or anyone else at the club had in mind when they spent £180 million in the summer to build on his solid first season in England. Even stranger is that Old Trafford is no longer the stronghold it was when he finished third and won the Carabao Cup.

Under Ten Hag, United suffered only two defeats at home in all competitions last season. This season, the Dutchman equaled that before the end of September.

His team were fortunate to beat Wolves in their opening league match and were two down against Nottingham Forest within four minutes before coming back to win. It could be worse. Now back-to-back league defeats at home to Brighton and Palace beg the question: have United become a soft touch at Old Trafford?

“I don’t draw that conclusion now,” Ten Hag replied. ‘We have to do better, that’s certainly the case, and we have to show in our body language that Old Trafford is a fortress and you can’t get anything here. The only thing you can get away with is a loss.

“It’s frustrating for everyone, especially the fans, but also for the players and me. We have to stick together and fight together to get better. We cannot change this anymore. The only thing we can change is the future, and Tuesday is the first game.”

The concern is that United is going backwards under Ten Hag. Yes, he has a terrible injury record and off-field distractions around Jadon Sancho and Antony – who watched this match from the stands after returning to training – but his players seem bereft of direction and confidence, especially going forward. Victories over Burnley in the league and Palace in the Carabao Cup last Tuesday had raised hopes that United were putting the worst of their early season malaise behind them, but a stronger Palace side returned here four days later to ensure a setback by Ten Hag.

Joachim Andersen scored the only goal with a sumptuous volley in the 25th minute, and credit to Palace for defending with their lives as Roy Hodgson became only the second manager to win three Premier League games in a row at Old Trafford.

Joachim Andersen scored the only goal of the match, scoring a sumptuous volley that secured all three points for the visitors

Roy Hodgson became only the second manager to win three Premier League games in a row at Old Trafford

“We stuck to our plan and got the reward,” said former United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. “The boys dug in. There are blocks, there are saves, there are headers, over and over again.”

It has left United in tenth place, one place behind Palace, which feels good for a team punching well below their weight.

Next up is Galatasaray and the renewal of a rivalry that dates back to 1993, when United’s players faced the fire and fury of the Turkish fans in Istanbul.

If Ten Hag isn’t in hell yet, he’s certainly feeling the heat.