Manchester United’s new powerbrokers insist Erik ten Hag has their complete backing – despite their slow start to the season and the fact they neither appointed him nor decided he would stay in the summer.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth believe Ten Hag is the “right coach” for United, though he took them to their lowest ever Premier League finish, in eighth, and has started the current campaign with two defeats in three games.
Berrada and Ashworth took up their new posts in July, after Ten Hag won the FA Cup but United spoke to other managers and then opted not to replace him.
But the former Manchester City executive and the former FA technical director have given the Dutchman their support and insisted that will remain the case in the event of a bad run.
Speaking before Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool, Berrada said: “That was a decision that was taken prior to both of our arrivals. But we’re very happy with that decision.
“Erik has our full backing and we have worked very closely together in this transfer window. We’re going to continue working very closely with him to help him get the best results out of the team. Do we still believe in Erik? Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we’re fully backing him.”
Ashworth, who had been put on gardening leave by Newcastle when Ten Hag’s future was up in the air, was adamant he had no say in the decision to retain him and then trigger a one-year extension to his contract.
“I didn’t start until July 1, so none whatsoever,” he added. “I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks.
“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.”
Ashworth said he is used to inheriting a manager others have appointed, explaining: “It happened at Newcastle with Eddie Howe, it happened at West Brom, Tony Mowbray was in place. Very rarely do you go into a job as a sporting director and there’s no manager in place.”