THE end for Erik ten Hag has seemed nigh for the better part of the last year, and yet when the axe finally fell on Monday, it came as something of a surprise.

Manchester United suffered another defeat at West Ham on Sunday, but very little of the blame could be placed at the erstwhile manager's door, as his players missed chance after chance before VAR Michael Oliver couldn't help but get involved to award the Hammers a penalty and the chance to claim all three points.

On so many occasions over the past 12 months the Dutchman has presided over embarrassing results and survived, so it seemed almost inevitable he would be allowed to limp on to Sunday's Premier League clash with Chelsea, where another home defeat to a decent team would ensue.

But no. After months of dithering, the hitherto ruthless Ineos operation found their teeth and put Ten Hag out of his misery, presumably prompted by encouraging noises about the chances of securing his successor.

The end should really have come after the FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May, letting Ten Hag walk away with his head held high, and giving the club a full summer to start again with a new head coach alongside a raft of new executives.

If not then, it should have come in the September international break after the 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool.

Or at the very least in the October international break after the 3-0 home defeat to Spurs.

However, it has come now, and in the short term it does give the Red Devils a chance of a bounce factor and avoiding a humbling loss to Chelsea this weekend.

Ten Hag won two trophies in his time, and will always be able to point to that, but he leaves United 14th in the Premier League with a quarter of the season gone, and also 21st in the Europa League, with three draws from three games.

At the time of writing, it looked highly likely Sporting coach Ruben Amorim was happy to swap top spot in the Primeira Liga and a fine start to the Champions League for a hard winter's work - and a massive pay rise - at Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim has won two league titles with Sporting Lisbon (Mike Egerton/PA) Amorim was 1/5 to be the next United boss as of yesterday afternoon, with social media reports suggesting a contract has been agreed.

Initially, his task will be to get United moving the right way up the table, while in the longer term the 39-year-old former Portugal international will be asked to buck a significant post-Alex Ferguson trend.

Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag have all enjoyed promising first years at the helm before falling away, so Amorim - if he does make the move - has a huge job on his hands to bring stability, never mind mounting a challenge to neighbours City, Liverpool and Arsenal at the top of the table.

Top four will be the main aim for the rest of the campaign. D espite the woes thus far, United are only seven points off that, and have a run of winnable games before they take on Arsenal on December 4, if such a run exists for this version of the former giants.

The Red Devils are as big as 10/1 to finish in the top four, which is a huge stretch given the aforementioned trio will take three of those spots, while Chelsea and Aston Villa continue to impress.

They are also 9/4 to finish in the top six, which may just be more realistic as Spurs are eye-catching and infuriating in equal measure while Newcastle are struggling, and the likes of Brighton and Nottingham Forest are unlikely to keep picking up points at the current rate.

Slot's Red machine could solve Carabao conundrum Arne Slot has made a strong start as Liverpool manager (Peter Byrne/PA) While discussions with Amorim go on, Ten Hag's assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy takes the reins for tonight's Carabao Cup last-16 clash with Leicester City at Old Trafford.

This competition has been the property of the big clubs for the last decade, despite being well down the list of priorities.

Only three clubs have won it since 2015 - City five times, Liverpool three times, and United twice - with Chelsea, Spurs, Villa, Newcastle and Arsenal amongst the beaten finalists.

All of those clubs have last 16 ties tonight, but at least a couple will bow out with Newcastle hosting Chelsea and City travelling to Spurs.

Pep Guardiola's men are 10/3 favourites to win the competition with Sky Bet, but tonight's game could be a minefield, with injuries meaning City haven't been able to fill their bench for their last two matches.

There is an element of grandstanding on Guardiola's part, but Spurs are very tempting at 6/4 given that they have been a bogey team for Pep over the years, and their fringe players have had more chances to perform as a unit with three wins from three in the Europa League.

I wouldn't put anyone off the 6/4, although Ange Postecoglou's boys are very hard to get a handle on, with all-out attack the only guarantee.

Therefore, a good bet could be over 3.5 goals at 5/4 with Unibet.

Returning to Old Trafford, Van Nistelrooy should get a reaction and he may well decide to select a strong line-up in what may be his only game in charge.

Leicester would like to win but avoiding relegation is all that really matters for Steve Cooper.

Both teams have scored in five of United's last seven games and while Van Nistelrooy should be able to improve the finishing, the defensive frailties will be harder to iron out.

Backing a United win with both teams scoring looks a good idea at 15/8 with Bet365.

Finally, Arne Slot's away record at Liverpool makes them of real interest at Brighton, who have leaked 12 goals in their last six games.

I'm not convinced by Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler at all, and with Liverpool having plenty of quality itching for a chance, the Reds look a bet at 11/10 here.

Sunday's 2-2 draw at Arsenal was the first time in eight away games that Slot has failed to claim victory, and that was hardly a bad result.

I really fancy Liverpool tonight, and with some of the other top clubs taking each other on, they might also be the pick of the prices at 8/1 (Betway) to retain the trophy they won under Jurgen Klopp last term.

CARABAO CUP

Liverpool to win cup, 8/1 (Betway);

Liverpool to beat Brighton, 11/10 (Paddy Power);

Spurs v Manchester City, over 3.5 goals in game, 5/4 (Unibet);

Manchester United to beat Leicester and both teams to score, 15/8 (Bet365)

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United, top six finish, 9/4 (William Hill)