Nuno Espirito Santo under mounting pressure to keep his job at Spurs after toxic Man United loss

Tottenham’s depressing loss to Manchester United has come as a major blow to Nuno Espirito Santo’s future at Tottenham with the Portuguese under mounting pressure to keep his job.

Prior to Saturday’s feeble performance, Sportsmail understands that removing Nuno from his position as head coach had not been discussed by chairman Daniel Levy and other key figures despite the club’s mediocre start to the campaign.

But the manner of Saturday’s loss to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team and the alarming crowd reaction to it has had a major impact on the board. 

 Nuno Espirito Santo (left) is under mounting pressure to keep his job at Tottenham

The team’s dismal showing in the 3-0 loss to Man United has increased pressure on his position

Sacking Nuno would be viewed as a knee-jerk reaction but there is an acknowledgement that the boos that rang round the stadium during the loss has arrived as a significant blow to Nuno’s hopes of staying in charge with a growing feeling that he cannot survive many more repeats – if any – of what happened on Saturday.

Spurs face Vitesse Arnhem at home on Thursday night where another lacklustre display will lead to further barracking from supporters before takes Nuno takes his side to Everton on Sunday for what will be a crucial Premier League encounter.

Two positive results and performances will ease the pressure on Nuno heading into the final international break until March.

The lack of a clear candidate to take over could work in Nuno’s favour but Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is understood to have admirers at Spurs.

Should the team suffer further negative results then the pressure on Nuno will intensify

Even if Nuno s given extra time, you get the impression every victory he manages from here on will just prolong the agony.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how this is likely to end. Tottenham supporters have already turned, those who haven’t, are.

The jeers that reverberated around the club’s magnificent stadium on Saturday night indicative of the ill-feeling towards the Portuguese boss.

Tottenham’s toxic right now; Nuno’s position as head coach is the root of much that toxicity.

Tottenham were booed by their own supporters during Saturday’s loss to Manchester United

Growing sections of the fanbase had made up their minds long before the feeble defeat to United, who arrived in north London in the midst of their own crisis.

For them, Nuno isn’t the man – he never was. Roy Keane summed it up succinctly: ‘Spurs are boring. They’re boring to watch. Really boring.’

Not for the first time this season, droves of Spurs supporters, head bowed, departed the stadium on Saturday night feeling exactly the same.

Tottenham fans, begrudgingly, accept failure; they’ve had to get used to it over the years.

The Portuguese coach (right) was booed for taking Lucas Moura (left) off in the second half

What they can’t accept, however, is no style or swagger. The ‘Tottenham Way’ is a bone of contention – many argue it puts style over substance.

It’s a valid argument, Tottenham have had very little success – at least in terms of silverware – over the years.

But for those entrenched in Tottenham’s rich attacking traditions, the Tottenham Way is the only way.

Of course fans would be far more generous towards Nuno and his pragmatic approach if they were winning.

But Tottenham have lost 50 percent of their Premier League fixtures so far, hence the natives’ restlessness.

Those who want rid of Nuno will probably have to wait a while longer for their wish. But, barring the most unlikely of turnarounds, it looks inevitable that their wishes will be granted eventually.