Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stated Erik ten Hag’s future as Manchester United boss is out of his hands.
The Man United minority stakeholder has been quizzed about the Dutchman’s future after a spell of disastrous results which have piled pressure upon him.
The Red Devils are winless in their first two Europa League matches and have picked up just seven points from their first six Premier League outings.
A particularly poor week for Ten Hag began with a terrible showing against Tottenham in which they slumped to a 3-0 defeat.
Things didn’t improve in an equally unconvincing 3-3 draw against Porto, which could easily have ended far worse.
With a tricky Premier League clash against Aston Villa next up before the international break, there have been suggestions that Ten Hag’s days are numbered.
Speaking ahead of the Villa clash on Sunday, Ratcliffe declined to publicly back Ten Hag and insisted any decision over the manager’s future won’t come from him.
When asked if his faith in Ten Hag still remains, the INEOS owner told BBC Sport: “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. Work to be done.”
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Club co-owner Ratcliffe took over football operations back in February 2023 with the side already in a less than desirable position.
Replacements for Ten Hag were considered over summer, but the club ultimately stuck with the former Ajax boss and then gave him a one-year contract extension.
Despite having finished in a mediocre eighth spot in the top flight, he did secure his second trophy in as many years for the club.
Man United pulled off a shock victory over local rivals Man City in the FA Cup final, having beaten Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final the year before.
But after such a poor start to the season all around, there is no guarantee Ten Hag will be given the chance to win any more trophies this season.
His message after the Porto draw was a defiant one, but there is a consensus that much could rest on how United far against an Aston Villa side who are still flying high from their Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
