Erik ten Hag reveals what Man United bosses told him ahead of Liverpool clash

Erik ten Hag has revealed what Manchester United bosses have told him ahead of the trip away to Liverpool this weekend.

The United manager appears to be under pressure following a poor start to his second season in charge at Old Trafford.

Defeat to Bayern Munich saw the club drop out of the Champions League bottom of their group, which leaves them with no European football to fight for in the remainder of the campaign.

Next up comes a visit to Anfield to face Liverpool, a fixture which saw Ten Hag’s side lose by seven goals last term in their most embarrassing result under the Dutchman.

At that time, Ten Hag had credit in the bank after recently winning the Carabao Cup and going through an impressive unbeaten run. This time around, he is in a different situation.

However, the United boss has explained that he feels the hierarchy above him is fully supportive despite the negative results, which allows him to focus on trying to improve the team.

“I feel that [support], and they tell me that,” he revealed when asked if he still has the backing of the club. “That’s fine, that’s ok, but I’m focusing on the process and making this team better, making these individuals better.

“I want to win and progress in the right direction. We haven’t met the standards, that is the truth. The future for Manchester United is very good when you see how many good young players are in the squad with high potential to play at the top level.”

In terms of the opposition, Ten Hag wants his team to ignore the result from last season and enter Anfield with the belief that they can win, despite their poor record at the stadium in recent years.

“We will put out a team who can challenge, a team that is confident to win that game, we prep the team as best as we can and a team to win there,” he added.

“I’m focussing on the process, making the team better and that’s my concern. That’s what I’m focussing on, the right thing, and that’s the team. There is no concern because I’m here to win and I have to make the team play better. Good is not good enough, we are inconsistent and I have to work on how the team will play.”