Sir Jim Ratcliffe breaks silence on Erik ten Hag future at Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe insists Erik ten Hag is a ‘very good coach’ and claims a decision over the Dutchman’s future at Manchester United is out of his hands.

Ten Hag is already under pressure following United’s inconsistent start to the season in which his side have won just two of their six Premier League games so far.

Harry Maguire rescued a 3-3 draw for United in their Europa League tie against Porto on Thursday evening, while Sunday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa has been billed as a must-win for Ten Hag in order for him to keep his job.

Ratcliffe and United’s hierarchy conducted a review post-season review of Ten Hag’s reign in the summer before opting to keep the 54-year-old at Old Trafford and extend his contract by a further year until 2026.

Asked if he still has faith in Ten Hag, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport: ‘I think I don’t want to answer that question… 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, 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. There’s work to be done.’

Speaking about his future after United’s draw against Porto on Thursday, Ten Hag said: ‘I’m not thinking about such issues because that is not a topic.

‘We are in there together, the ownership, the leadership team, the staff. I appointed a new staff, we bought, again, new young players and we have to integrate them.

‘There are some more areas where we will improve, definitely, and then this team can grow and improve. Then we will see where we will end in the end of the season.’

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