Man United hierarchy ‘fully back’ Erik ten Hag to deliver success | OneFootball

Man United executives Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada have given manager Erik ten Hag their complete support despite a slow start to the campaign.

Neither man was involved in the process that led to the Dutchman receiving a contract extension in the summer. They took up their posts at the club in July after leaving Newcastle United and Manchester City respectively.

Last season’s eighth-placed finish was Man United‘s worst in the Premier League, but Ten Hag did guide the team to FA Cup success in May. The club spoke to other managers but chose not to replace him, instead extending his deal until 2026.

Despite having no say in the decision, sporting director Ashworth and chief executive Berrada say Ten Hag has their backing and will continue to do so in the event of a poor run of results.

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“That was a decision that was taken prior to both of our arrivals, but we’re very happy with that decision,” Berrada said prior to Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool.

“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 insists he had no say in the decision to trigger Ten Hag’s one-year extension. The former FA technical director was on gardening leave from Newcastle at the time.

“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 added that he is used to inheriting a head coach appointed by someone else. “Very rarely do you go into a job as a sporting director and there’s no manager in place.”

Berrada expressed excitement about Man United’s future. “I’m very optimistic at what we have in front of us. We’re starting to put the right pieces in place and I’m absolutely convinced we’re going to be successful.”

Asked how long it mak take to make the club consistent challengers again, Berrada replied: “It’s almost impossible to put a timescale to answer that question.”

Man United sit 14th in the Premier League table with just three points from their opening three games.

Read – Rating every Premier League club’s summer transfer window

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