Erik ten Hag breaks silence on his Man United future – with insight on what he says Sir Jim Ratcliffe thinks – as he repeatedly claims club are in ‘transition period’ despite being over two years into his tenure

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has opened up about his future amid mounting speculation surrounding his job.

Ten Hag and United have had a difficult start to the season, losing three of their first six Premier League games, while also failing to beat FC Twente in their opening Europa League match.

Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham was seen by many as the low point in Ten Hag’s tenure after a dismal display, with reports claiming the Dutchman has just two games left to save his job.

However, speak Air sportsTen Hag was resolute in his belief that he could get things right at Old Trafford, while also claiming his job was not in jeopardy despite United’s problems.

“I’m not scared (about losing my job),” he said. ‘We’re sitting here together. We made an agreement this summer, the ownership, the leadership, and we all stand behind it.

There is a lot of speculation about Ten Hag after a difficult start to the season

United suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, increasing the pressure on Ten Hag

‘We know the strategy, with young players in a transition period and we know that this can happen in this process. But at the end of the day, in May, in all my last six seasons there were trophies and this is what we all strive for.”

There was much speculation about Ten Hag’s future in the summer after a difficult 2023/24 season, before the INEOS-led football structure decided to stick with him.

He was then supported with reinforcements in the transfer market and also within his coaching staff, but things still need to improve.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag insisted that the fallout from Sunday’s defeat to Spurs does not upset him, while also revealing the key message he has delivered to his side over the past two days.

“It’s like a process,” he added. ‘You do it every time you play a game, you close the game, make the assessments, draw your conclusions and move on.

“The most important thing is to keep the faith. Stay in the game by continuing to believe in it, so there is the most important message you can give because if you lose faith, you lose everything.

“We have to keep going, stick to the plan. You always have to believe, believe as an individual, believe in your teammate, (believe in the) team and believe in the plan that you are executing. That’s absolutely what you need.”

Ten Hag defended his record and repeatedly emphasized that United was a team in transition

The Dutchman also claimed that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on the same page as him

Since Ten Hag took over in May 2022, United have finished third and eighth in the Premier League, although they have won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup in that time, with the Dutchman regularly pointing to his trophy record in English football.

However, things were far from smooth sailing, with United’s eighth-place finish last season the lowest in the Premier League era, while crashing out of the Champions League in the group stages.

Ten Hag was also heavily backed and spent £550m in the transfer market, with United spending almost £200m this summer on the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.

Despite the costs, Ten Hag, now in his third season in charge, repeatedly claimed United are ‘in transition’.

“We have been in transition at Man United for a long time,” he explained. ‘From the moment I came in we knew we had to change, we had to replace some older players and bring in some new players.

‘Our choice was to bring in young players, which takes time to get them used to the game model and to get the message across.

“Our fans are impatient, and that means they have the right to be impatient, but we are impatient too. When we lose, everyone is disappointed and frustrated, but it is fuel to get better.”

Ten Hag emphasized that United’s players must continue to believe in themselves and also in ‘the plan’

The Dutchman faces a crucial week with tough games against Porto and Aston Villa ahead

Ten Hag faces a crucial week, with United – who are currently 13th in the Premier League – taking on Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before traveling to Aston Villa on Sunday.

And despite the challenges and pressure facing Ten Hag, he insisted he is confident United will turn around their difficult run.

‘To introduce a new culture, we have to win in the meantime.

“We have proven in the last two years that we win and I have proven in my career that I always win.”