The two top Manchester United executives hired by Ineos this summer have publicly backed Erik ten Hag as worries about his Old Trafford future again arise.
United kept Ten Hag in June after considering numerous other alternatives, but they have only three points from their first three games after losing to Brighton and Liverpool.
Omar Berrada, the club’s CEO, and Dan Ashworth, its sporting director, back Ten Hag. Prior to Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Liverpool, Berrada was questioned if he would keep United’s support if the club lost consecutively. “Do we still believe in Erik?” Absolutely. Erik is our ideal coach, and we support him.”
Since Ashworth was not yet in place, senior technical director Jason Wilcox spearheaded Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos-led search for Ten Hag’s successor this summer. Berrada was not at United when Ten Hag renewed his contract till 2026.
Berrada said: “The contract was decided before both of our arrivals. We’re pleased with that choice. As Dan mentioned, Erik has our full support and we worked closely together during this summer transfer window. We will work closely with him to achieve the finest results.”
Ashworth was questioned if he was comfortable being sporting director without a voice in Ten Hag’s retention. He cited past jobs. “It happened at Newcastle with Eddie Howe and West Brom with Tony Mowbray,” he continued. “You rarely start as a sporting director without a manager.”
Ashworth was asked if he had no say in Ten Hag’s future since his progress relied on the first-team. He answered, “I didn’t start until 1 July, so none whatsoever.” I enjoyed working with Erik for eight weeks.
“My role is to support him in all areas, including operational, recruitment, medical, psychological, and training-ground flow, to enable him to focus on the pitch and tactical plan for Manchester United.
Some Old Trafford fans booed Ten Hag or the players on Sunday. Berrada expressed optimism about United. “I’m optimistic about our future. We’re putting the proper parts together, and I’m sure we’ll succeed.”
He wouldn’t say how long it would take United to challenge again with consistency. “It’s almost impossible to put a timescale to answer that question,” Berrarda remarked.
“We don’t want to win one Premier League and be done. We aim to build a team that can consistently compete in the Champions League, Premier League, and domestic cups.”
In Ten Hag’s five transfer windows, Antony, Lisandro Martínez, André Onana, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui have worked with the manager before. This has raised questions about whether Ten Hag is considering many players.
Ashworth said: “In all business contexts, it is natural to work with someone you’ve worked with before. You know that player. Erik signed Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, and Joshua Zirkzee this summer, all of whom had never worked with him before. Our radar included Matthijs and Nous, who he worked with before. This is a jointly made choice.
Jadon Sancho joined Chelsea on loan for the season with a mandatory buyout for £20m-£25m. Ashworth said the winger was not fired. “We’re not kicking players out of the club,” he stated.
