Erik ten Hag is under increasing pressure at Manchester United, and the latest comments from Sir Jim Ratcliffe only add to the uncertainty surrounding the Dutchman’s job.
The manager says he is not thinking about it. Instead, his focus lies with the next game at hand, a trip to in-form Aston Villa, with United in need of three points after a challenging start to the season.
After six games, United are 13th in the Premier League table and we haven’t seen the results Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co would’ve wanted this season. It’s a different story at Villa where Unai Emery is doing a terrific job.
The future of Ten Hag has remained a hot topic since the summer, with United considering potential replacements before deciding to stick with the Dutchman and offer him a contract extension.
Ratcliffe shifts responsibility to Berrada and Ashworth
Ratcliffe was interviewed by BBC reporter Dan Roan on Friday in Barcelona, shining new light on the situation. His refusal to back Ten Hag speaks volumes and will likely cause more uncertainty for the man in question.
“I don’t want to answer that question…” Ratcliffe told the BBC when asked if he had faith in the United manager. “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.
“But that team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [Sporting Director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July.
“They’ve only been there…you can count it in weeks almost – they’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions. Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously – that’s very clear.”
Ratcliffe was in Barcelona as the Ineos Britannia (sailing team run by United’s co-owner) won the Louis Vuitton Cup to reach. Next week’s America’s Cup.
The Reds were unable to ease the pressure on the manager with another disappointing result in the Europa League on Thursday night. United threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with FC Porto. It took a stoppage time equaliser from Harry Maguire to secure the point.
Meanwhile, reports elsewhere suggest Ten Hag needs a positive result this weekend against Villa or he could be axed during the October international break.
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