Summary:
- In June, Manchester United confirmed manager Erik Ten Hag’s one-year contract extension.
- However, his future on the team is once again questioned after the team only squeezed three points out of as many games.
- Senior executives Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth have expressed their full support for Ten Hag.
With questions regarding his future at Manchester United once again emerging fueled by the disappointing toll of only three points in the first three games of the new Premier League season, manager Erik ten Hag is enjoying important public backing from the club’s freshest additions to the executives’ team.
Amid an unsuccessful search for a potential successor to ten Hag led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos and technical director Jason Wilcox this summer, the manager’s retention was confirmed in June.
No other candidate proved to be a solid choice for the Old Trafford club which meant ten Hag was given a one-year contract extension until 2026.
Despite the consecutive losses against Liverpool and Brighton, Manchester United’s chief executive, Omar Berrada, along with sporting director, Dan Ashworth, have both expressed their full support behind ten Hag.
“Do We Still Believe in Erik? Absolutely.”
Berrada, who had not joined Manchester United at the time ten Hag’s contract was extended, was asked if he would support the manager in the event of a series of defeats before Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat against Liverpool.
He replied by asking “Do we still believe in Erik?” to which he immediately replied “Absolutely”, adding they believed ten Hag was “the right coach” for them and that they were “fully backing him”.
Commenting on the contract expansion, Berrada explained that while the decision was taken before his and Ashworth’s arrivals, they were both “very happy” with it.
He added that they “have worked very closely together” with the manager and that they will continue to do so “to help him get the best results”.
When asked if he had any problems with not having had any say in the retention decision from his position as a sporting director, Ashworth used the example of his previous jobs, including Newcastle and West Bromwich where Eddie Howe and Tony Mowbray, respectively, were in place.
“Very rarely do you go into a job as a sporting director and there’s no manager in place”, he explained, adding that while he had zero input on ten Hag’s future as he only joined the club on 1 July, he “really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks”.
ten Hag and the Team, Booed After Latest Loss
Despite some fans booing the manager or the players at Old Trafford after Sunday’s loss, Berrada expressed optimism regarding the future, saying they were “starting to put the right pieces in place” and expressing his conviction they will be successful.
The sporting director said his job is to support ten Hag in every possible way, whether operationally, with recruitment, medical, psychology, or the flow of training, so he can instead focus on “the training pitch and the match tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United”.
When asked about a timeframe when the club will become a consistent challenger once again, he explained it was “almost impossible to put a timescale to answer that question”.
The club’s chief executive further explained they were not solely looking to win “one Premier League and then be satisfied” but rather create consistency and scoop up wins all around.
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