Erik Ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, claims he is not under any additional pressure in the wake of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover of the club.
United had announced in December that they would be selling a 25% share of the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group, a deal that was finalized this week. Manager Ten Hag claims that despite the 71-year-old’s insistence that the Red Devils must contend at the top level to win trophies, the two have the “same ambition” and he no longer feels under pressure.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ten Hag said, “We speak a lot, there are many conversations with him [Ratcliffe], with Dave Brailsford about this club, about this team, about the structures, we are very aligned, it totally fits with ambitions I have, ambitions I had when I came in.
“I’m 19 months in and I see we are going in the right direction. We have had setbacks in the second season but you see the team coming, the squad developing, work hard on the training pitch, work hard during games, it’s important to have players fit but also to construct the squad, we will be strong and we will be even stronger when we add to this squad even more qualities”, as reported by Goal.com
Erik Ten Hag says there is no pressure
“Nothing. No more pressure because we have the same ambition, we have the same targets.”, the Dutch manager added.
Ten Hag’s reign as Manchester United manager has been under scrutiny this season, following their poor start to the season, which leaves them out of the top four position, finishing bottom of their UEFA Champions League group, and also, getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle United at their home ground.
However, the Red Devils are beginning to find their rhythm with recent performances, which have seen them win six out of their games in 2024.