Erik ten Hag tells Man United’s owners they won’t sack him ‘if they have common sense’ in a brazen press conference – and says he ‘doesn’t care’ if they give him a vote of confidence
Erik ten Hag believes common sense will prevail when Manchester United’s owners come to decide his future as manager.
Ten Hag is under pressure with only three Premier League games and the FA Cup final left to play this season. United will take on title contenders Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Dutchman is well aware that his compatriot Louis van Gaal was sacked by United despite winning the FA Cup in 2016, but he claims Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos will understand the chronic injury problems in the defense when they sit down to to assess his performance in defense. end of the season.
Asked if Van Gaal’s precedent worries him, Ten Hag said: ‘No, I think they (the owners) have common sense. They have seen that when you have 32 different back lines, when you lose eight centre-backs, when we see that we have no left wing-back, they know that this will have a negative impact on the results.
‘But we’re still fighting and it’s a huge FA Cup final. We are still here, it may be a highlight of the season, but we know why we are underperforming.
Erik ten Hag believes reason will prevail if Man United’s owners call on his future
The Dutchman hopes Sir Jim Ratcliffe will understand the problems he has had in defence
“I am a realistic person, I see this, I analyze and no team will perform with these injuries.”
Ten Hag was also asked whether it would help end speculation about his future if Ratcliffe publicly expressed his support for him.
“You should ask this question to the owners, not me,” he replied.
But he was not concerned that he would face the same fate as former United boss Louis van Gaal
The United manager said he ‘didn’t care’ if the club publicly showed his support
“That’s my job (to face the media). I take responsibility for that in speaking to you. That’s why I’m the manager, to provide the answers.
“I don’t care if they do or not, I work on improving and developing my team, that’s my job here.”
