Man Utd preparations for Europa League match disrupted by travel chaos

Manchester United's journey to Porto was marred by a significant delay due to poor weather, just 24 hours before the match.

Erik ten Hag's team touched down in Portugal three hours behind schedule on Wednesday evening, throwing a spanner in the works for their preparations for Thursday's Europa League clash. The Red Devils are keen to bounce back from Sunday's crushing 3-0 loss to Tottenham, with the heat intensifying on manager Ten Hag.

A victory over Porto would mark their first in this season's Europa League, following a lackluster 1-1 draw with Dutch outfit Twente last week. United were slated to depart for Portugal around 3pm but didn't leave Manchester until 6:10pm due to fog and heavy rainfall.

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Ten Hag's pre-match press conference at the Estadio de Dragao was originally scheduled for 7pm but was subsequently delayed to 8:30pm BST. The Dutch coach is likely to face some tough questioning, given United's four losses in their nine matches across all competitions this season.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS associates will be keeping a close eye on proceedings, as Ten Hag strives to reverse United's fortunes at Old Trafford after a disappointing start to the season. The encounter with Porto is the first of two challenging away fixtures for the Red Devils ahead of next week's international break.

On Sunday, United are set to test their mettle against Aston Villa in a clash that could be pivotal for Ten Hag's tenure. Despite whispers of uncertainty, the club insists their support for Ten Hag remains unshaken.

After weighing his performance and engaging with other potential managerial candidates this past summer, United chiefs opted to back Ten Hag, even extending his contract. However, results are yet to justify that faith.

Ten Hag showed a fighting spirit in a recent Sky Sports interview, promising: "We are going to make a success from the season. Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about. We can sort [the problems] out, this team can sort this out."

When questioned whether the forthcoming couple of matches might dictate his future at United, Ten Hag was nonplussed, expressing: "I'm not thinking about it, I'm not anxious. We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership. We made this agreement, and we were all behind it."

He added, "We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period. They also know in May in all my last six seasons there were always trophies and that is what we are aiming for."