Erik ten Hag is confident he will receive time to prove himself to incoming Manchester United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe amid sack speculation, according to reports. A disastrous second season in charge has put the United manager under mounting pressure, but he isn’t expecting to lose his job imminently.
Ten Hag has overseen more defeats than wins this term, making up half of the Red Devils’ 24 games in all competitions.
United produced their worst-ever Champions League campaign, finishing rock bottom of Group A with just four points, having won just one of six games and lost four, conceding 15 goals.
Newcastle United also ended their Carabao Cup defence early by cruising to a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford, avenging February’s final defeat.
It leaves United with just the FA Cup and Premier League to play for, but they’re 10 points behind leaders Liverpool with a daunting trip to Anfield to come on Sunday.
The club’s state of flux has somewhat worked in Ten Hag’s favour, with no figure currently likely to make the decision to dismiss him ahead of Sir Jim’s £1.3billion deal for a 25 per cent stake.
But the Dutchman is likely to become vulnerable once the INEOS founder inherits sporting control in the New Year if results don’t improve in the coming weeks.
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Earlier this week, reports claimed that Sir Jim had met former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, identifying him as his preferred candidate should he sack Ten Hag.
However, despite the current United manager’s recent woes, he is said to be relaxed about his job security less than two years into his rebuild.
According to The Sun, Ten Hag is confident Sir Jim and INEOS will offer him enough time to present his vision for the future at Old Trafford.
It’s claimed that he expects the opportunity to win the 71-year-old over with his plans for the next phase of his project next summer, likely involving another squad clearout.
