Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly made his feelings clear regarding under-fire Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman is under considerable pressure at Old Trafford after his United side made their worst start to a season since 1989 when they lost at home against Crystal Palace in September. And a narrow win at Fulham on Saturday in the Premier League hasn’t completely let Ten Hag off the hook.
An added time Bruno Fernandes strike saw United snatch all three points following miserable back-to-back 3-0 defeats against Manchester City and Newcastle United. The Red Devils again were lacking in quality but they eventually broke the deadlock and left with a clean sheet to boost.
The result will have gone a short distance to appease disgruntled United fans who may be seeing Ten Hag given more time to build upon a third-place finish and EFL Cup triumph in his first season after it was reported that he has the ‘unwavering support of Ferguson’.
A source at the The Sun claims: “Erik has Sir Alex’s unwavering support. He’s been hugely supportive of Erik since he arrived at the club.
“He’s impressed at the job he is doing and, in particular, the way he has taken on big decisions. Sir Alex, like everyone else, wishes results were better this season.
“But he thinks those pointing at the manager and calling for a change are wrong. [Ferguson] thinks he’s shown the kind of character and mentality required to turn the club around – and he firmly believes Erik deserves time, like he got, to make a success of things at the club. If consulted, that’s a position he would be prepared to make clear to any new investors who come into the football club.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to take over footballing operations at Old Trafford once his 25% stake investment is confirmed. And it appears that Ratcliffe is on the same page as the Scotsman, with the Ineos chief confident Ten Hag can change United’s fortunes around.
Ferguson is also said to be happy with the decisions that Ten Hag has made – including Marcus Rashford’s recent partying situation and the ongoing Jadon Sancho expulsion. Giving the Dutchman time just as he was afforded when he made the switch from Aberdeen 37 years ago on Monday.
The source added: “Sir Alex had to make decisions all the time during his years as manager which were difficult and risked putting him on a collision course with his players.
“But he never shied away from doing what he felt was right for the club. This is a trait Erik is showing too, especially with the way he handled the recent Marcus Rashford situation.”