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Jim Ratcliffe and Erik ten Hag
Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has disclosed that he’s not in the best position to talk about the future of club manager Erik ten Hag.
The billionaire opined that the club’s management team is in the best place to do such, lamenting how the club had drifted away from its place among European elites.
The Dutch tactician has been under immense pressure amid speculations of a possible sack from the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ after disappointing results across club competitions.
Ten Hag took charge at United in 2022 and took the club to third place in his first season. He also won the EFL Cup.
However, United’s games have often been criticised by their fans, with some saying the Dutch’s tactics were only degenerating the team.
The latest among these is the team’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, before Harry Maguire’s late equaliser in their 3-3 draw against Porto in the Europa League.
When asked on Friday whether he has faith in the manager, Ratcliffe told BBC Sports, “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 has 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.”
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