Man Utd: Ten Hag pleads with Ratcliffe to resist temptation to ‘interrupt the process’

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is hopeful that Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t “interrupt the process” at Old Trafford and will give him time to see his plan through.

The Red Devils had a positive first season under Ten Hag with the Dutchman guiding them to an FA Cup final, League Cup glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Pressure has been building on Erik ten Hag

But this season has not gone to plan, with Man Utd crashing out of Europe by finishing bottom of their Champions League group, while the sixth-placed Red Devils are struggling for consistency in the Premier League.

Ten Hag took a step forward before the international break when Man Utd beat arch-rivals Liverpool 4-3 in their FA Cup quarter-final but a 1-1 draw at Brentford over the weekend heaped pressure back on the former Ajax boss.

It was the performance as much as the result which will have irked Man Utd fans with Ten Hag’s men allowing Brentford over 30 shots on their goal.

Man Utd face a tough away trip to Chelsea before hosting Liverpool at Old Trafford in a potentially season-defining week for Ten Hag and his side.

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Chelsea are already on their third manager since a Todd-Boehly led consortium purchased the Premier League club in May 2022 with Mauricio Pochettino already under pressure this campaign.

When asked if the situation at Chelsea was a warning to Ratcliffe and INEOS, Ten Hag told reporters: “I think you need to follow the process. We have good young players coming through. They are developing very well in their progress.

“We are in a good way, a good direction and we need to make the next steps. Don’t interrupt this process.”

Man Utd are nine points behind fifth-placed Tottenham and a further two points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

Erik ten Hag: I know we are not in a good position

The Red Devils do have one game in hand on Tottenham and two on Aston Villa and Ten Hag is refusing to give up on finishing fourth this season.

Ten Hag added: “I have high standards and I would be disappointed if we didn’t qualify. I know it will be very difficult because we are not in a good position.

“But we want to win every game, that is the standard we have here among each other. We will keep going and keep believing in those standards. That will be the approach in every game. We will keep fighting until the end.

“I know we are not in a good position and we have to catch up. Also, I know we have had a lot of problems so I am a realistic man also.

“In a competition that is so competitive and the teams are so close, you need the players to be available. If you have to make compromises your levels will drop and you will drop points.

“If you play in a consistent team, your levels will go up. When you bring in the best players in your squad, you will collect more points and that is a fact.

“So I will be realistic but nevertheless I will keep fighting in every game and I will demand a win in every game because we are Man United and we have to win every game.”