Erik ten Hag responds to questions about job security at Man Utd

Erik ten Hag has admitted there is ‘pressure’ on his job at the moment but he feels supported by Man Utd owner INEOS.

The Dutch tactician signed a new contract at Old Trafford last summer after leading United to a surprise FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

It was Ten Hag’s second trophy in two years at Man Utd after leading the club to the 2022-23 EFL Cup.

However, their Premier League performances last season were far from good enough, with the club finishing eighth in the table and only securing European football thanks to their FA Cup win.

The Red Devils haven’t exactly had a great start to the season either, taking just six points from four Premier League games, including a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool.

Man Utd are preparing for an away game against Crystal Palace on Saturday night. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Ten Hag answered questions about his job security and the support of Man Utd owners INEOS.

“I know there is pressure and noise when we lose, so I don’t need to read those articles about what’s coming because I know it’s there,” Ten Hag said.

“But yes, to answer your question, I feel the support. I feel that we are in this together and we are in a new season and yes, we are going for silverware again and we are going to put together a good team again and yes, of course we hope to do it like in the first season, but if we have setbacks for example, we will deal with it and then we still have to win.”

Critics ‘always want Man Utd to fail’, says Ten Hag

There are signs of improvement, with Man Utd winning their last two games 3-0 and 7-0 against Southampton and Barnsley respectively.

However, much more will be needed before Ten Hag can convince his fans and critics that he is the right man for the job.

The former Ajax manager is convinced that he too is struggling with a situation in which many actively cheer on the demise of Man Utd.

“Oh, they always want Manchester United to fail,” Ten Hag added. “And the only way we can change that, and that is that as a team we have to turn this around and we know how to do that and we know we have to win. And when we don’t win, there is criticism and we have to deal with that.

“But if we do things right, we are confident that we can handle all this and that we can perform. We have shown that so many times.”

Top photo by Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images