A Bruno Fernandes free kick which hit the bar was the only real effort United had throughout the whole game away at Aston Villa in both sides' last game before the international break.
Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United are now five games without a win in all competitions, with their last victory coming against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.
Rumours are rife about whether the Dutchman will be in charge at Old Trafford when the Premier League returns in two weeks, and it doesn't look promising for the former Ajax manager.
After another average (if that) performance, there are plenty of reasons to believe the end could be near for Erik Ten Hag.
. No Martinez or De Ligt from the start
This was a big call from Ten Hag when the teams were announced pre-match and was something nobody was expecting.
Both Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs De Ligt have been prominent in the starting eleven for United so far throughout the 24/25 season. However, all three goals conceded against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday night did not look great from their perspective.
Harry Maguire and Johnny Evans replaced them in Portugal and in the starting eleven at Villa Park.
Despite their errors in Portugal, it is strange for both starting centre backs to be dropped just like that, especially when the next fixture is against a team that has just beaten Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Evans did get man of the match on Sunday, but he and Maguire only really play when there is an injury elsewhere.
Ten Hag described his choices as "rotation" but as Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports, "Martinez and De Ligt have dropped." It remains to be seen if anything else has sparked the United boss's selection.
. Another centre back injury
Maguire's start in this game was overshadowed by an injury he suffered just before half time as he was replaced by De Ligt.
The English centre-half now joins Leny Yoro on the Red Devils' injury list. History seems to be repeating itself, as many players were out last season for the same reason.
Luckily, Maguire is not a starting centre back but one more in that department could be curtains for United.
Last season, Wily Kambwala was called upon, but after his departure in the summer, Victor Lindelof and Evans are the only remaining senior defenders after Martinez and De Ligt. If more occur, the next few games could be interesting in that area for the Red Devils.
. A team which lacks passion
It's safe to say this has been said about this Manchester United side for a long while now. With only three wins in all competitions this season, it is clearly still there.
This game last season was won by United in the dying embers, with Scott McTominay breaking Villa hearts. This time, with the game still to be won, there was nothing.
Throughout the whole match, Ten Hag's team lacked motivation and desire and just looked like a side with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
The best chance for them was a set piece from Fernandes that rattled against the woodwork, but apart from that, it was just a slow-tempo affair.
This is becoming an all too common theme for United who now sit 14th in the Premier League table. The miss placed passes and the lack of shots have to improve or they could be waving goodbye to any chance of European football next season by Christmas.
. The end for Ten Hag?
He almost went after the FA Cup final? Ten Hag was saved. Now, this time, the United boss could be shown the door.
Manchester United had to improve after an abysimal performance against Liverpool just before the last international break. They did somewhat do that with wins against Southampton and Barnsley but following that, the occurence, which is just all too common for United fans now, came back.
0-0 draws at Crystal Palace and now Aston Villa, poor draws in the Europa League against Twente and Porto, and an embarrassing 3-0 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur have dampened United's season even more.
The next two weeks are huge for Manchester United's future (short term, at least). Will Ten Hag be in charge as they welcome Brentford to the Theatre of Dreams, or could a new name be in charge?
