MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Oct 2 – Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insists he has nothing “to panic about” after a poor start to the season.
A number of senior sources at United have told BBC Sport that it is business as usual as Ten Hag prepares for key games against Porto and Aston Villa.
Despite Sunday’s demoralising 3-0 loss against Tottenham leaving them in 13th, Ten Hag is confident the season can be a “success”.
“Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports on Monday.
“We can sort [the problems] out, this team can sort this out.”
United have won just three of their nine fixtures across all competitions this season, beating Fulham and Southampton in the league and League One Barnsley in the EFL Cup.
Ten Hag led the Red Devils to a third place in the Premier League during his maiden campaign in 2022-23, while they also lifted the EFL Cup and were runners-up in the FA Cup.
Last season United ended the term eighth – their lowest-ever Premier League finish – but signed off in style by beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup.
Ten Hag rewarded with a new contract
The Dutchman was subsequently rewarded with a new contract, which runs until 2026, over the summer and last month club chief executive Omar Berrada said he had the club’s full backing.
“We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership,” Ten Hag said.
“We made this agreement, and we were all behind it. We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period.
“They also know in May in all my last six seasons there were always trophies and that is what we are aiming for.”
During his time at Ajax, Ten Hag won three Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups and one Johan Cruyff Shield.
United face a trip to Porto in the Europa League on Thursday and travel to Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, before the October international break.
After ending last season on a positive, Ten Hag was backed in the transfer market over the summer, with Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte all added to the squad.
But performances since have been well below par.
United have scored five times in their opening six games – only in 2007-08 have they scored fewer at this stage of the season.
They have also lost consecutive Premier League matches without scoring at Old Trafford for the first time since November 2021, in what were Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s last two home fixtures in charge before he was sacked.
“If you lose your faith, you lose everything,” Ten Hag said. “We have to keep going and stick to the plan.
“For a long period, we are in transition at Manchester United. From the moment I came in, we knew we had to change. We had to replace some older players.
“Our choice was to bring young players in and that takes time to get the messages on board, to get a game model on board and to introduce a new culture. That takes time.”
Ten Hag ‘lacks fire and passion’
There was also movement in the coaching staff during the off-season, with former Red Devils striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake joining to replace Steve McClaren, Benni McCarthy and Mitchell van der Gaag.
Former Blackburn striker McCarthy worked under Ten Hag for two years at Old Trafford before departing to pursue his own career in management this summer, has criticised the Dutchman’s approach to coaching.
“In modern football, I believe that players want to see a bit more passion in their coach,” McCarthy, speaking to Portuguese website Zerozero, said of Ten Hag.
“They need to feel that the coach is with them and willing to fight alongside them.
“Tactically, I feel that Erik is at the top. He lacks a bit of that fire, that passion. That’s where we differ, him and I.”
