MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, October 19 – Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has accused the media of making up “fairytales and lies” about his future.
Ten Hag went into the international break under huge pressure after a run of five games without a win, which included the embarrassing 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham.
Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports after that Spurs loss that he felt Ten Hag was “out of his depth”.
With United 14th in the Premier League, many felt the 54-year-old would be dismissed during the international break, particularly as members of the Glazer family attended a pre-planned United board meeting with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and other members of the club’s hierarchy in London last week.
However, Ten Hag remains in post and says journalists have deliberately ignored his post-match comments after the goalless draw at Aston Villa on 6 October, when he said “we are on one page” about the backing he was receiving at Old Trafford.
“The noise is only coming from some of you, creating stories and fairytales and bringing lies,” he said.
“I know we are on one page at this club. I said this before the break. I told several journalists. Probably the journalists didn’t believe me because I saw the reports. But internally, it is quiet.”
It is five years since United went six games without a win in all competitions.
To avoid that, they need to beat a Brentford side managed by Thomas Frank, who was one of the men spoken to about the manager’s job last spring when Ratcliffe was still deciding whether to keep Ten Hag.
Brentford have not won at Old Trafford since 1937 – a run of six league and cup visits – although last season they led going into stoppage time, when Scott McTominay scored twice to turn the match on its head.
“Of course, we are unhappy with the position where we are,” said Ten Hag. “The ranking is not lying and it is not good enough.
“But we are quiet and composed. We stick to the plan and are convinced it will be a success.”
‘We definitely need Sir Alex Ferguson’
Not all the news on Manchester United during the international break surrounded the future of the current manager.
The decision to remove Sir Alex Ferguson as a paid ambassador at the end of this season brought a huge amount of negative comment from former players, including Eric Cantona, who labelled the move “scandalous”.
Ten Hag is under no illusions his own side are operating a long way below the levels of the trophy-ladened Ferguson era, which included winning a record 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
And he admitted debate around the legendary Scot does get through to the dressing room.
“Of course it has an impact on us,” he said. “Sir Alex is Man Utd. He built Man Utd to where it is now.
“At the moment we can’t match the standards he set but we still won trophies. Sir Alex wants to see a winning Man Utd.
“I’m sure he is always available for advice and we will definitely need him in the short term, as we did in the last two and a half years I have been here.”
