by Sir Jim Ratcliffe says the decision over Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United is not his to make.
Ten Hag have been under increasing pressure in the opening weeks of the season, with the club sitting 13th in the Premier League and failing to win either of their opening two Europa League matches.
The Dutchman signed a contract extension at Old Trafford over the summer until 2026, but this came after United held talks with several managers as they considered replacing Ten Hag.
United travel to face in-form Aston Villa this weekend, while another poor result and performance would leave the club with an important decision to make before the international break.
Asked if he still had faith in Ten Hag, United co-owner Ratcliffe told BBC Sport: “I don’t want to answer that question.
“I love Erik. I think he’s a very good manager, but ultimately it’s not me who decides, it’s the management team that runs Manchester United who have to decide how best to manage the team in many ways.
“But the team that runs Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April. [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [Sporting Director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July
“They’ve only been here a few weeks. They haven’t been here long, so they need to take stock and make smart decisions.
“Our goal is very clear: we want to get Manchester United back to where they should be, and that’s obviously not the case yet. It’s very clear. There’s still work to be done.”
Ten Hag won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup during his time at United, the former seemingly saving his job when he looked set to be sacked before leading his side to victory over Manchester City in last season’s finale.
However, although United have spent more than £600million since his arrival, the club still appear a long way from challenging for Premier League honours, having finished eighth last season and 31 points behind City, and with similar problems already this campaign.
United are on a four-game winless run in all competitions, while only Southampton have scored fewer goals in the Premier League so far this season.
