Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in attendance for Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, as speculation over manager Erik ten Hag’s status continues to increase.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was tight-lipped following Manchester United’s goalless draw with Aston Villa, as Erik ten Hag’s future remained uncertain.
The scrutiny on the troubled Dutchman has increased dramatically ahead of Sunday’s cataclysmic clash between United and Villa. The match finally finished 0-0, likely giving Ten Hag some much-needed relief.
Ratcliffe was in attendance at Villa Park with his right-hand man, Sir Dave Brailsford, the club’s new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, and chief executive, Omar Berrada. However, the Ineos head fled quickly after the last whistle.
While Ratcliffe quickly left, Ashworth and Berrada were spotted exchanging brief words, according to BBC Sport. United’s senior brass will hold a board meeting on Tuesday to consider Ten Hag’s situation.Intriguingly, Ratcliffe refused to comment on Ten Hag’s future when asked if he trusted the former Ajax manager on Friday, claiming that his destiny will be decided by the club’s new senior leadership team.
He told BBC Sport, “I’m not going to answer that question…I like Erik. I believe he is an excellent coach, but at the end of the day, it is up to Manchester United’s management team to determine how to effectively run the squad in a variety of ways.
“But the team that is running Manchester United has only been together since June or July.” [CEO] Omar [Berrada] and [Sporting Director] Dan Ashworth were not there in January, February, March, or April; they came in July.
They have only been there…You can count it in weeks nearly; they haven’t been there long, so they need to take stock and make some smart judgments. Our goal is pretty clear: we want to get Manchester United back to where it should be, and it isn’t there yet.
Following the Villa game, Ten Hag used the chance to emphasise that he and the club’s leadership are all on the same page, telling Sky Sports: “We always communicate, every week. We’re all on the same page, we understand what we’re doing, and we realize it’ll be a lengthy process.
“We have got through two really difficult away games. This is a team; we demonstrated our belief and faith.
