When even the brutal humiliations become routine, you know it's time up for Ten Hag

ASTRIKING aspect of Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday was just how little the scoreline registered — at least for me, anyway.

- Dan Kilpatrick

There was a time when United’s humiliations still felt significant, like seismic disruptions to the established order, but over the course of Erik ten Hag’s unravelling tenure they have come to feel entirely routine.

In the past five weeks alone, there has also been the astonishing collapse at Chelsea and embarrassing win over Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final.

And really, there should have been nothing particularly surprising about a Palace side spearheaded by JeanPhilippe Mateta, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze tearing through this version of United.

Shameful as it was for the visitors, the result was predicted by most bookmakers and the one-sided scoreline only reflected Palace’s natural authority at one end of the pitch.

Afterwards, Ten Hag insisted he remains the right man to take the club forward but the head coach has obviously run out of road, and his best chance of still being in the job next season is if every available alternative takes one look at United’s squad and runs for the hills. United could still win the FA Cup, but by every other measure they have had an historically-grim campaign.