by A defiant Erik ten Hag has come out swinging about his Manchester United future, insisting he does not need Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s public support while accusing Jamie Carragher of having an agenda against him.
United have a potentially season-defining week that could have significant implications for the Ten Hag’s future.
Wednesday’s visit to Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup represents United’s last realistic chance of silverware this season. Victory for Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday could have left them 11 points clear of the top four if Aston Villa had beaten Luton Town 24 hours earlier.
United’s minority shareholder Ratcliffe also raised questions about Ten Hag’s future during an interview last week.
But Ten Hag – who was under contract until the end of next season – rejected any idea that they would be “on trial” until the end of the season.
Asked if it would help if the Ineos billionaire announced he would stay on as manager, Ten Hag said: “I’m under contract for three seasons, so I don’t care.
“I’m just focusing on the process, so I don’t care what’s going on around me.
“I have had many discussions with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and also with Sir Dave Brailsford [the Ineos director of sport and club board member] and other people in that group, so I know where we’re talking and I have a strong belief and I feel they believe in me.”
The scrutiny of Ten Hag intensified after United’s 10th league win of a troubled campaign last Saturday, when his side’s familiar flaws were laid bare in a 2-1 win at Fulham.
United’s in-and-out set-up drew harsh criticism from Carragher in a detailed analysis on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, prompting Ten Hag to suggest that the former Liverpool defender was not objective in his criticism of United from the moment he arrived. in England.
Carragher, for example, had questioned Lisandro Martinez’s Premier League fitness after a poor display in a 4-0 win over Brentford in August 2022; Ten Hag’s first game as United manager.
“First of all, some analysts are very objective in their opinions, very good advice, some are very subjective – Jamie Carragher is one of them,” said Ten Hag.
“From the first minute he has criticized and now he is trying to make his point.”
Ten Hag admitted there was some validity to Carragher’s criticism of United’s first half against Fulham – which led him to question his team’s attitude – and Fulham’s winning goal from Alex Iwobi.
“Probably in the first half hour, yes, six [Carragher] that he had a point,” said Ten Hag. “Fulham created something surprising in midfield [for us] and then we have to find the solutions.
“After half an hour we got the solutions. I was not happy with the performance with the defense, especially on the left side.
“How we did the pressure because they came out, especially in the first half hour, several times on the left side and that can’t happen and that’s about willingness, spirit, passion, that was in the weeks before very large. good for this team and therefore, we won football games.
“I know footballers are not robots, sometimes they have bad days. But it can’t be, it’s unacceptable, we have to do better tomorrow but in the weeks before what has been done very well.”
Carragher questions Mainoo’s role
Carragher pointed out why United did not regularly form a compact shape out of possession and questioned Ten Hag’s instructions for young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, among others, and the space between midfield and defence.
“I want to highlight Mainoo, who has been excellent since he came in, but my problem – it’s not a criticism – what are his instructions before the game?” said Carragher. “This is right from the start, he’s not sure if he should close the midfielder down or look at the No.10. He’s engaged right from the start – you should know your jobs right from the start and that’s down to the coaching staff.
“Twenty seconds into the game against Fulham, it’s been a problem for Manchester United all season, there’s space between the back four and midfield.”
Ratcliffe is yet to offer any public assurances about Ten Hag’s future but the Dutchman said he did not feel he was effectively “on trial” until the end of the season. “No, but I want to win every game,” he said. “I know I’m in a process, I know what I’m doing.
“We always have discussions, and we are talking about the future together. I focus on those two points – to promote the team in this moment and the next game, and think about the future and do that together.”
Ten Witches insisted that he would not allow himself to be “distracted” around him. “No, I’m not thinking about it,” he replied when asked if the constant scrutiny over his future got him down.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the process and I have to manage the process. I am not focusing on my personal circumstances. I’m just focusing on the team and I have to find solutions for this team so that they perform at their best. It’s about focusing on that and not being distracted by noise or whatever.
“That’s for you, maybe the fans can talk about it. If you talk about one win when discussing the manager’s position, I think it is quite timely after two months without a win.
“I can’t pick something out of this, I can’t take it seriously. I have to stay focused again on the team and the performance of the team.”
Ten Hag also criticized his United players for their poor game management in the 97th minute when Fulham threw in near their own corner flag which ended with Iwobi scoring a dramatic winner.
“It can’t happen when they have recreations in the corner, the way we manage it as a team is not good,” he said.
As well as his tactics, Ten Hag’s transfer decisions have also been heavily scrutinized at United.
Antony’s battle for form
United’s £85 million signing Antony was left out of the starting XI against Fulham while academy graduate Omari Forson made his first start for the club after an injury to Rasmus Hojlund sidelined the Danish striker for up to three weeks.
Ten Hag believes the assault allegations hanging over Antony, which the player denies, have contributed to his struggles this season, with the Brazilian winger yet to score a goal or assist in 20 Premier League appearances.
But Ten Hag claims that those personal problems are not a factor now and he is confident that Antony will prove his worth.
When asked if off-field problems were still bothering Antony, the United manager said: “Not anymore but it definitely was. Now this has been left behind but for a moment in the season it had an impact on him – you could see it in his performance, in his attitude, but now he’s back.
“I see it in the training he is doing [that] and it will turn the corner.”
Pochettino hits back at Neville’s jibe
Ten of Hag’s comments came as both Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp responded to Carragher’s Sky Sports colleague Gary Neville’s claim that Chelsea were ‘a billion bottle jobs’ during the Carabao Cup final.
Pochettino joked that Neville’s comments reflected his frustration at Liverpool’s defeat, given his United links.
“I haven’t spoken to Gary but I think yesterday he said ‘It was my first feeling’. He is Manchester United and he wanted Liverpool to lose! That was a bit of it,” said Pochettino.
“I think he was frustrated because he was disappointed with the result. He said that I love Pochettino and I was disappointed in this moment, and he transferred his feelings there.”
Meanwhile, Klopp defended Chelsea over Neville’s claim and said: “This ‘bottling’ thing is not really mine. I really don’t understand it.
“They wanted it badly and they didn’t get it, and I saw against the players and Poch after the game that it was terrible. I don’t think anyone deserves these kinds of feelings.”
