Alan Pardew’s position as Crystal Palace manager has grown increasingly unclear as the side head to Swansea on Saturday for a match that has been billed as must-win fixture.

Palace are without a win in five as the side continue to languish in the bottom end of the Premier League. The Eagles currently sit in 16th on 11 points, one point above the relegation zone.

According to the Sun, the club’s board are running thin on patience and are prepared to show the 55-year-old the door should Saturday’s match end in defeat.

It’s understood that Sam Allardyce is under consideration as a potential replacement but no approach has been made to the former England manager.

Current Wales boss Chris Coleman is also allegedly being weighed up as an option. As a former defender at the club, the Welshman could be tempted by a return to the Premier League.

But contrasting reports have suggested that the club are fully behind the Englishman, despite the fact the side have managed just five wins throughout 2016.

Pardew held talks with the club’s major shareholders during the international break and flew to New York to meet American co-owners David Blitzer and Josh Harris where they addressed the side’s dismal run.

He said the two Americans, who each bought an 18 per cent stake in Palace last year, are “not looking for a short-term fix” and are “very supportive”.

Nonetheless, Pardew has admitted that Saturday’s game against Swansea is “pivotal in our season”.