Premier League confirm Manchester United vs Aston Villa referee as Erik ten Hag handed boost

Erik ten Hag has been handed a potential boost as the Premier League confirm the match referee for Manchester United’s visit to Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United are set to return to Premier League action as they face Aston Villa away in their seventh league game of the season.

Erik ten Hag’s side has struggled significantly, managing to win only three of their ten matches thus far. Their most recent outing saw them squander a 2-0 lead against FC Porto, ultimately needing a last-minute header from Harry Maguire to earn a 3-3 draw.

Read More: Sir Jim Ratcliffe opens up Erik ten Hag following Manchester Untied’s Porto draw

While United currently sit in 13th place in the league table, Aston Villa is enjoying a strong season under Unai Emery, positioned 5th and just two points shy of league leaders Liverpool.

Most recently, Villa hosted Bayern Munich in the Champions League, pulling off a 1-0 victory thanks to a brilliant goal from substitute Jhon Duran.

The match officials for the game have been confirmed as Ten Hag is handed a nice boost.

Confirmed officials

Robert Jones (pictured below) will referee on Sunday afternoon at Villa Park. Jones officiated five Manchester United matches last season, including all three encounters with Newcastle United: the 3-0 defeat in the Carabao Cup, the 3-2 Premier League victory at Old Trafford, and a 1-0 loss at St. James’ Park.

Additionally, he was the referee for Manchester United’s penalty shootout triumph over Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final, in which Coventry’s 120th-minute goal was disallowed for marginal offside.

However, most interestingly, he oversaw United’s 2-1 victory against Villa away from home in February and will, of course, be taking charge of the same fixture again on Sunday afternoon, which may be a boost for Ten Hag. He has already officiated United this season in their 1-0 opening-day win over Fulham.

Neil Davies and Akil Howson will be on the sidelines, acting as Jones’ assistant referees during the game. Simon Hooper has been handed the fourth official job, separating Erik ten Hag and Emery on Sunday afternoon.

John Brooks has been appointed the role of Video Assistant Referee. Gary Beswick will act as assistant VAR.

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