Erik ten Hag breaks his silence on Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man United sacking after club legend was controversially stripped of his £2million-a-year contract
Erik ten Hag has admitted that Manchester United’s decision to tear up Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2million-a-year contract will have consequences for the club, and he has credited the Scot with setting standards that none of his successors would can match.
Ferguson will miss Saturday’s match with Brentford at Old Trafford, his first match since being informed by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that this will be his final season as ambassador for United.
The 82-year-old has a previous engagement but it remains to be seen how often he will return to the club where he became the greatest manager in United’s history, delivering 38 trophies in 26 years.
“Of course it has an impact on us,” said Ten Hag. ‘Sir Alex is Man United. He built United to where the club is today, and that has an impact on us.
‘But on the other hand we know, and Sir Alex knows, that is what he wants. He wants to see a winning Manchester United and I’m sure he is always available for advice. We will certainly need him in the short term, as we have in the last two and a half years that I have been here.
Erik ten Hag had admitted that the decision to tear up Sir Alex Ferguson’s contract will have major consequences for the club
United legend Ferguson lost his £2million-a-year United ambassador contract this week
Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to sever contact made by the previous owners
‘One thing is certain: there is hardly any club in the world where expectations are as high as at Man United. That’s set in Sir Alex’s era, and the rest of us who come after have to deal with this.
“Right now we can’t live up to the standards he set, but we still won trophies.
‘Remember, this club didn’t win any trophies six years before, so we’ll be back. We’ll be back, but it’s clear we’re not there.
‘I want to win every match and make every season a success, with trophies and titles. Those are the expectations Sir Alex set for this club.”
United have spent the international break in 14th place after their worst start to a Premier League season after seven games. Seniors discussed the situation during a six-hour board meeting in London.
Ten Hag insists most of the noise about his future comes from outside the club, but admitted results need to improve.
It remains to be seen how often Ferguson will return to the club where he became the greatest manager in United history
United have spent the international break in 14th place in the Premier League after a torrid start to the season
“We are calm, but we are not happy, that’s for sure,” he added. ‘Nobody – not the players, the staff, not the management, not the board – is happy with this position, but we know what we are doing.
‘And we also know the reasons why and what we need to change. But we are calm in our strategy and are confident that we will get where we want to be and that we can make the season a success.
‘Underneath that I see good patterns, good steps that confirm that we are moving in a direction. But the ranking doesn’t lie, it’s not good enough.’
