Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag fumed at the “fairytales” and “lies” he believes are being spread about his future, amid speculation that he could have lost his job over the international break.
Having broken his own club Premier League record for the worst start to a season, INEOS chiefs including Sir Jim Ratcliffe joined Joel Glazer to watch the 0-0 Aston Villa stalemate in person.
The group, which also included Sir Dave Brailsford, Jason Wilcox, Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada, then met in London two days later to hold a pre-planned meeting. The future of Ten Hag was thought to also be on the agenda.
Ten Hag ultimately held onto his position and will be back in the dugout when the Red Devils host Brentford on Saturday, though the head coach has insisted that after talks with INEOS, the entire club is on the same page and ready to move forward.
“I know we are on one page in the club,” the Dutchman said. “Internally, the club is quiet. Of course we discuss where we are and the position and we have to turn a corner. We are quiet and composed. We stay where we are and stick to the plan.”
He further lamented the outside speculation and pointed his finger directly at the media who were at Carrington to speak with him.
Directly calling out their perceived fabrications, Ten Hag continued: “Noise is only coming from some of you (media), creating stories and fairytales, bringing lies. (Some) Journalists didn’t believe me. I saw the reports. Of course, we are unhappy with the position where we are. Ultimately, we are quiet and composed. We stick to the plan and are very convinced it will be a success.”
The 54-year-old did concede that results and performances needed to improve, with United languishing in 14th place, but was confident that he is the right man to lead that turnaround.
“We have to climb a mountain, but that’s top football, sometimes you have to face challenges,” he added. “But I’m sure we will make a success, just like we did in the last two seasons.
“I see the good things, good patterns and the good stats that confirms we’re in a good direction, but the ranking doesn’t lie and where we are isn’t good enough.”
Looking ahead to another vital clash against Brentford, Ten Hag confirmed that Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire are both set for a spell on the sidelines but Noussair Mazraoui is available after undergoing a heart procedure over the break.
“Injuries do not help, for sure,” Ten Hag further explained. “You need players available to perform. Kobbie and Harry are out for a couple of weeks, but Mazraoui is good news. He has returned on the training pitch and is available tomorrow.
On sidelined left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, he added: “We can’t force their return and have to do it cleverly. We don’t want them to return and quickly drop out, but of course, we hope they come back as soon as possible because this team needs a left-full back.”
