Everything said about Erik ten Hag Man United future as Ineos get sack decision deadline

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is a man under severe pressure heading into Sunday's clash at Aston Villa.

The former Ajax boss has overseen a poor start to the season for United who currently sit 13th in the Premier League and are yet to win a match in Europe. It follows last season's disappointing eighth-placed finish - United's lowest since 1990.

Ten Hag was backed by Ineos, who run football operations at Old Trafford, but the Dutchman had to wait on his future to be decided with the club's hierarchy speaking to potential replacements before choosing to stick with him this summer. However, that backing will be severely tested if the Reds lose at Villa this weekend.

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It's set to be a nervous few days for Ten Hag who could be taking charge of United for the final time this weekend. Below is the latest on his future...

United stance

The Manchester Evening News understands that United had been planning to stick with Ten Hag for now in the wake of last weekend's defeat to Tottenham. United's defeat to Spurs means that they have won just twice in the Premier League so far this season.

Ten Hag will also be aware that the upcoming international break could present an opportunity for United's hierarchy to make a change. The Reds will return to action at home to Brentford on October 19 after Sunday's tough trip to Villa.

'Not my call'

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has told BBC Sport on Friday that a decision over Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford is "not my call." The Ineos founder co-owns United but leaves the day-to-day running of their football operations to others including CEO Omar Berrada and Sporting Director Dan Ashworth.

“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, 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 – [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [Sporting Director] 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.”

Ashworth and Berrada stance

Earlier this month, following the 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool, Berrada and Ashworth gave an interview discussing their collaboration with Ten Hag, who had his contract extended until 2026 earlier in the summer. Neither Berrada, who joined the club on July 13, nor Ashworth, who assumed his role on July 1, were part of the decision to retain Ten Hag as manager.

"So, in terms of the contract, that was a decision that was taken prior to both of our arrivals," Berrada said. "But as I said before, 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. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we’re fully backing him.

"I'm very excited and very optimistic at what we have in front of us. I think we're starting to put the right pieces in place and I'm absolutely convinced that we're going to be successful."

Sporting director Ashworth meanwhile, added at the time: "I didn't start until July 1, so none [involvement in the decision to retain him] whatsoever. All I can do is reiterate what I remember saying, 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 - 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."

Deadline set

Former United captain Gary Neville insists that the club's current performances cannot continue under Ten Hag. Neville has shared his belief that the club's new structure will now be severely tested.

“The reason Erik ten Hag was given a chance was that they believed with a strong structure around him, which previous Man United managers haven’t had, that he can succeed. This is where they are going to need that rock-solid structure around them and they are going to need those people that have great experience.

“I have worked with Dan Ashworth before, Omar Berrada has been at Manchester City, Jason Wilcox has done this job a long time and Dave Brailsford has been in elite sport for a long time. I don’t think they want to sack him. I think they want to get to at least the end of this season. Because once you start sacking managers during a season we all know that it’s tough.

“But if performances carry on as they are and results carry on as they are it will be very challenging for Ineos not to do something in the next weeks or months. But in the meantime, they have got to try and think of a way that these players, this manager, this coach can connect and create something in the next couple of weeks.”

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