As sure as night would turn to day after yesterday evening’s draw in Porto, the future of Erik ten Hag would be topic number one this morning – with Sir Jim Ratcliffe asked about his manager’s position.
Having surrendered a two-goal lead in Portugal, a Harry Maguire stoppage-time header salvaged a draw in a six-goal thriller at Estadio do Dragao.
Ten Hag, now winless in four, has lost the confidence of much of the supporter base, with many calling for immediate change in the hot seat.
Ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Bayern-Munich conquering Aston Villa, the prospect of a poor result leaves ample opportunity for a headline-laden international period to follow.
Caught marina-side by Dan Roan from the BBC, Ratcliffe was quizzed about his stance on the future of the Dutchman following an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 campaign.
What did we learn
“I think, I don’t want to answer that question – I like Erik,” the billionaire told Roan.
“I think he’s a very good coach, but at the end of the day, it’s not my call – it’s that 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 – they have only arrived, [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [Sporting Director] Dan Ashworth, they only arrived in July.
“They’ve only been there, you know, 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.”
Sir Jim has manufactured a best-in-class backroom team to orchestrate the great Manchester rebuild, with the likes of Ashworth, Berrada and Jason Wilcox earning significant wages to handle these queries.
Ultimately, we did not need to hear Ratcliffe confirm that things must improve – every supporter knows this.
Should you be surprised by a lack of categoric response from the man? No. He has remained evasive on the topic for months.
Ashworth and Berrada provided public comments before Liverpool, and a focus on medium to long-term results is an essential KPI for the manager.
The future of Ten Hag is not in the hands of the media or the supporters – regardless of frustration.
Take this for what it is – a 71-year-old man questioned beside a marina about something he has remained tight-lipped on for months.
Let us know how you feel about Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Erik ten Hag and Manchester United in the comments or across our social channels.
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