Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag’s future

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe refused to guarantee Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford as he admitted the club is not "where it should be” under the troubled boss.Ratcliffe had a chance to quash reports that Ten Hag is in danger of the sack when he spoke ahead of United’s crucial Premier League trip to Aston Villa tomorrow. But the 71-year-old’s downbeat assessment of United’s predicament was hardly encouraging for Ten Hag as he fights to save his job. "I don’t want to answer that question. I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call,” Ratcliffe told the BBC on Friday.Ten Hag’s side are languishing in 13th place after winning only two of their first six league matches. They suffered a dismal 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham last weekend and blew a two-goal lead in their 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.United’s struggles have piled pressure on Ten Hag, who only survived a woeful eighth-place finish last season after Ratcliffe and his advisors conducted an internal review into the Dutchman’s turbulent two-year reign. Ratcliffe reportedly spoke to former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel about the United job during the review before opting to keep faith with Ten Hag, who had masterminded a surprise FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May.But the British billionaire, who took charge of United’s football operations after buying a stake in the club in February, was more equivocal about Ten Hag on Friday when he was pressed on his manager’s travails.Insisting any decision on the former Ajax boss would be made in conjunction with United’s new sporting director Dan Ashworth and chief executive Omar Berrada, Ratcliffe said: "It’s the 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 – Omar and Dan Ashworth. They only arrived in July. They’ve only been there, 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.”Meanwhile, Ten Hag is adamant he still has the backing of United’s hierarchy. But, in the current climate around the Dutchman, a loss to Villa would be a major blow to his hopes of avoiding the sack in his third season at Old Trafford.Asked if he felt there was patience within the United fanbase and hierarchy, Ten Hag said: "I’m not thinking about such issues because that is not a topic. We are in there together, the ownership, the leadership team, the staff. I appointed a new staff, we bought again new young players and we have to integrate them. Like we just talked about Manuel Ugarte, the six position was absolutely one of the topics we want to sign for the season but he needs time to integrate. And I know in top football you don’t get time, they have to perform immediately, but it’s not always realistic.”Ten Hag’s belief does not mask the multitude of issues plaguing a United team that lacks steel at the back, cohesion in midfield and a cutting edge up front. The Porto game was the 24th time in all competitions that United conceded three or more goals in a match since Ten Hag’s appointment."What is the mental issue? So, there is a range, it’s a spectrum of topics and you have to address it right,” he said."This team has the belief that they don’t give up, so they have a strong mentality. But in some other parts they have to step up if you want to win trophies, yeah, definitely in some areas we have to improve.”