Erik ten Hag still has the full backing of Sir Alex Ferguson despite overseeing Manchester United’s worst start to a season in 61 years.
The Dutchman, 53, enjoyed a fine maiden year at the helm but has found himself under pressure in recent weeks after a calamitous start to the 2023/24 campaign, with United losing five of their opening 11 Premier League matches.
And while Ten Hag earned some respite at the weekend with a slender 1-0 win over Fulham, his position is likely to be scrutinised further in the coming weeks unless United can string a positive run of results together. He can take some solace, though, in the fact that in Ferguson, he retains the support of an Old Trafford legend.
According to a new report from The Sun, not only is Ferguson still ‘100 per cent’ behind the former Ajax chief, but he would also urge any incoming investors to get behind Ten Hag rather than dispense with his services.
That revelation comes in the wake of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid to acquire a minority 25 per cent stake of the club, with the Ineos chief likely to be granted control of sporting operations if his £1.4billion proposal is ratified at by the board in the coming weeks.
While having the support of Ferguson is seismic in itself, Ten Hag will be well aware that his position could still become untenable if he cannot oversee an upturn in both results and performances on the pitch.
Prior to Saturday’s vital victory at Craven Cottage, Ten Hag initiated showdown talks with his squad amid reports of internal unrest and claims that his hardline methods were unpopular with certain members of the dressing room.
The Sun claim that Ten Hag arranged one-on-one sessions in a bid to mend any issues following United’s chastening 3-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. Those talks were held over the course of Thursday and Friday – less than 24 hours before their trip to capital.
Ten Hag was full of praise for his players after they responded to those talks by grinding out a win against Fulham. He told BBC Sport: “I am pleased with the spirit of the team and with the way we pressed,” said the Dutchman.
“We saw this [a stoppage-time winner] against Brentford and we have seen it again. It is a good resilience. They know what the standards are. This is Manchester United – you have to win every game.
“This week we have not been happy with the standards and today we improved with our standards. Every game we have to bring the battle which starts with the right mentality and attitude, to show you are hungry with passion and desire.”
