Manchester United’s Dutch manager Erik ten Hag (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Erik ten Hag has admitted there is ‘pressure’ in his job at the moment, but he feels the support of Man Utd owners INEOS.
The Dutch tactician signed a new deal at Old Trafford in the summer after leading United to victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
That was Ten Hag’s second trophy in two years at Man Utd after leading the club to the 2022/23 EFL Cup.
However, the Premier League’s performance last season was far from perfect, finishing eighth in the table and only receiving European football thanks to that FA Cup victory.
The Red Devils did not start their season well, picking up just six points from four Premier League games, including an embarrassing 3-0 home thrashing by arch-rivals Liverpool.
Man Utd prepare to face Crystal Palace away on Saturday evening. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of that game, Ten Hag answered questions about his job security and the support of Man Utd’s owners INEOS.
“I know when we lose there is pressure, there is noise so I don’t need to read these articles to see what is coming because I know it is there,” said Ten Hag.
“But yes, to answer your question, I feel supported. I feel like we’re in this together and we’re in a new season and yes, we’re going to take silverware again and we’re going to go and build a good team and yes, of course, we hope to do it like the first season, but if we have setbacks, we’ll deal with it and we still have to win.”
Critics ‘always want Man Utd to fail,’ says Ten Hag
There were signs of improvement as Man Utd won their last two games 3-0 and 7-0 against Southampton and Barnsley, respectively.
However, it will take more than that for Ten Hag to convince fans and critics that he is the right man for the job.
Indeed, the former Ajax manager believes he is also fighting a situation where many are determined to see Man Utd’s demise.
“Oh, they always want to let Manchester United fail,” said Ten Hag. “And the only way we can change this, is as a team we have to change this and we know how to do it and we know we have to win.” And if we don’t win, there is criticism and we have to deal with this.
“But if we do things the right way, we are confident that we can face all this and we can do it, and we have shown it many times.”
Top photo by Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images
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