Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has opened up on his future, amid increasing speculation surrounding his job.
Ten Hag and United have endured a difficult start to the season, losing three of their first six Premier League games, while they also failed to beat FC Twente in their opening Europa League match.
Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by Tottenham was seen by many as the nadir in Ten Hag’s tenure after a dismal display, with reports claiming the Dutchman has just two games to save his job.
However, speaking to Sky Sports, Ten Hag was resolute in his belief that he will get things right at Old Trafford, while he also claimed his job wasn’t at risk despite United’s struggles.
‘I’m not anxious (about losing my job),’ he said. ‘We’re in here together. We made an agreement this summer, the ownership, the leadership, and we are all behind it.
Under pressure Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has opened up on his future
There has been much speculation surrounding Ten Hag after a difficult start to the season
United suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat by Tottenham on Sunday, heaping pressure on Ten Hag
‘We know the strategy, with young players in a transition period and we know in this process this can happen. But in the end, in May, in all of my last six seasons there were trophies and this is what we are all aiming for.’
There was significant speculation surrounding Ten Hag’s future in the summer after a difficult 2023-24 campaign before the INEOS-led footballing structure decided to stick with him.
He was then backed with reinforcements in the transfer market and also within his coaching staff, but things are yet to improve.
Nevertheless, Ten Hag insisted the fall-out from Sunday’s defeat by Spurs doesn’t faze him, while he also revealed the key message he has been delivering to his squad over the past two days.
‘It’s like a process,’ he added. ‘You do it always when you play a game, then you close the game down and you take the assessments, you set your conclusions and you take it from there.
‘The most important thing is needing to keep the belief. Stay in the game by keeping belief, so there’s the most important message to give because if you lose faith you lose everything.
‘We have to keep going, stick to the plan. You need to believe always, believe as an individual, believe in your team-mate, (believe in the) team and believe in the plan you execute. That is absolutely what you need.’
Ten Hag defended his record and repeatedly insisted that United were a side in transition
The Dutchman also claimed that part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on the same page as him
Since Ten Hag took over in May 2022, United have finished third and eighth in the Premier League, although they have won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in that time, with the Dutchman regularly pointing to his trophy record in English football.
However, things have been far from plane-sailing, with last season’s eighth place finish United’s lowest in the Premier League era, while they crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage.
Ten Hag has also been heavily backed, spending £550million in the transfer market, with United splashing out almost £200m on the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte this summer.
Despite the outlay, Ten Hag, who is now in his third season in charge, went on to repeatedly claim that United are ‘in transition’.
‘We’ve been in transition for a long time at Man United,’ he explained. ‘From the moment I came in we knew we had to change, we had to replace some older players, bring some new players in.
‘Our choice was to bring young players in, that takes time to get them used to the game model and (get the) message on board.
‘Our fans are impatient, and that is they are entitled to be impatient, but we are impatient too. When we lose, everyone is disappointed and frustrated, but it is fuel to get better.’
Ten Hag insisted United’s players must keep believing in themselves and also in ‘the plan’
The Dutchman faces a crunch week with tough games against Porto and Aston Villa coming up
Ten Hag has a crunch week coming up, with United – who currently sit 13th in the Premier League – set to take on Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, before they travel to Aston Villa on Sunday.
And, despite the challenges and pressure Ten Hag faces, he insisted he is full of belief that United will turn around their difficult run.
‘To introduce a new culture, in the meantime we have to win.
‘We have proven that in last two years that we win and I have proven in my career that I always win.’
