Erik ten Hag handed backing by Manchester United officials Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth
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Updated 02/09/2024 at 23:55 GMT+1
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Erik ten Hag has received the "full backing" of senior Manchester United officials despite a poor start to the Premier League season. The Dutchman led The Red Devils to a disappointing eighth-place finish in 2023/24 and started the new campaign with two defeats in three games. But chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth have thrown their support behind him.
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Two senior figures at Manchester United have insisted Erik ten Hag’s job is safe and that the club are “fully backing” the under-fire manager despite a difficult start to the season.
United fell to a limp 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday, their second consecutive Premier League loss.
The result left Ten Hag’s side with three points from their opening three games of 2024/25, from a late 1-0 win over Fulham on the opening day.
Ten Hag has space to regroup, with a hiatus in the Premier League for the international break.
Upon the resumption, United head to Southampton on September 14, with the game live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The slow start follows a disappointing eighth-placed finish in 2023/24 and Ten Hag’s future has come under question in some quarters once again, but United chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth have backed the Dutchman.
Speaking to reporters before Sunday’s defeat at Old Trafford, Berrada said: “Do we still believe in Erik? Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we’re fully backing him.”
Neither Berrada nor Ashworth were in place when Sir Jim Ratcliffe began a summer search for possible replacements for Ten Hag, which ultimately resulted in the former Ajax manager staying on and extending his contract to 2026.
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“In terms of the contract, that was a decision that was taken prior to both of our arrivals. But we’re very happy with that decision,” Berrada added.
“Erik has our full backing and we have worked very closely together, as Dan said before, in this [summer] transfer window. We’re going to continue working very closely with him to help him get the best results.”
Ashworth, who joined the Manchester club from Newcastle United during the summer, explained that he was not part of the decision-making process in keeping Ten Hag on, but has no regrets about it.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks,” he said.
“I see my job is to support him in every way I possibly can, and whether that’s operationally, whether that’s with recruitment, whether that’s with medical, whether that’s with psychology, whether that’s training‑ground flow, it’s just to take as much of that off him to allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and the match tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United.”
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Berrada remains optimistic about what the future holds for The Red Devils under Ten Hag's leadership.
The club have failed to win the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013, and a host of managers have come and gone in that time.
“I’m very optimistic at what we have in front of us," Berrada said. "We’re starting to put the right pieces in place and I’m absolutely convinced we’re going to be successful.
“It’s almost impossible to put a timescale to answer that question (how long it will take to challenge).
“We don’t want to just win one Premier League and then be satisfied. We want to create a team that is capable of competing for the [UEFA] Champions League, for the Premier League and for the domestic cups on a consistent basis.”
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