Sir Jim Ratcliffe “absolutely” backs me at Manchester United, says Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has said he has the ‘absolute’ backing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe amid questions surrounding his future at Manchester United.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team have new-found responsibilities as part of the British billionaire’s 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, with the petrochemicals firm now in full sporting control of the Old Trafford club.

Since the club confirmed on Christmas Eve that they had accepted the bid from Ratcliffe, United have performed well, and Erik ten Hag‘s team have not lost a game so far across 2024, climbing themselves back to within five points of the Premier League top four.

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Despite this, many feel that if United don’t achieve qualification for next year’s Champions League competition, Ten Hag’s job will be brought into serious question.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the fixture against Fulham at Old Trafford, Ten Hag says he retains the absolute backing of INEOS.

“We speak a lot. There have been many conversations with him and Dave Brailsford about this club and the team,” Ten Hag said. “We are very aligned. I realise totally the ambitions, and they fit with the ambitions I had when I came in.”

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Asked if Ratcliffe is confident in him, Ten Hag replied: “Absolutely. That feeling where we have so many talks. We are very aligned. We have the same ambition and aligned in the process. There’s no more pressure. We have the same ambition and targets.”

He continued: “I am 19 months in. I see we are going in the right direction. We’ve had setbacks in the second season, but you see the squad developing. Work hard in the process.

“It’s very important to have players fit and a squad that is robust. We’ll be strong when we add to this squad.”