Erik ten Hag firmly believes his vision aligns with that of Manchester United’s top brass and has not been given any signal to suggest a loss of confidence from the owners. Manchester United’s co-owner, Sir Jim Ratclife, sidestepped offering his endorsement to the Dutch manager, who accepted the call to “raise his game” after a goalless draw against Aston Villa. This less-than-ideal performance was witnessed firsthand by Manchester United’s executives and contributed to the club’s poorest kickoff to a Premier League season.
United is currently struggling, sitting in the 14th position in the league, a precarious five points away from the relegation zone. This is a consequence of their failure to win any of their last five games across all contests and netting only a meagre five goals from seven encounters. Ten Hag, when questioned about whether he continues to enjoy the patronage of the United board, responded “There’s no hint of the contrary, they would have informed me. We maintain an open and candid communication.”
The embattled manager anticipates a meeting with the higher-ups at United in the approaching days. “Communications with them are an ongoing affair; daily, I’d daresay. I expect a meeting with them soon. We’re all in the same boat, working towards the same ends. It’s a marathon, not a sprint and we must continue refining our strategy,” elaborated Ten Hag.
Despite the mounting criticism, Ten Hag remains confident of his team’s potential for growth. However, he admits that there’s serious room for improvement especially in their goal-scoring ability after a series of droughts. A setback in the form of an injury to Harry Maguire, who was spotted wearing a leg brace as he exited Villa Park, further compounds the problem.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, considered the draw to be fair, attributing the mediocre performance partly to the strain of their recent Champions League triumph against Bayern Munich. “Obviously, successive matches against the likes of Manchester United and in the Champions League are demanding,” remarked Emery. “The aim was to assert our dominance. We attempted to shrug off Wednesday’s match and play with our energy restored. Perhaps we could have benefited from rotating the squad.”
The joining of Ezri Konsa, the Villa defender, to the England squad for their Nations League matches against Greece and Finland appears unlikely according to Emery, following Konsa’s suspected hamstring injury 12 minutes into play. Emery, the Villa manager, confessed ignorance regarding the severity of the injury, expressing hope for Konsa’s recovery during the international interval and a chance for the team to regain their vitality.
Simultaneously, Dimitar Berbatov, a former United striker, delivered a blistering critique on Sky Sports regarding his ex-team’s showing, arguing that the squad should feel “humiliated” for letting Jonny Evans, a 36-year-old, be recognised as the game’s standout player.
Berbatov called out every player on the pitch, stating his disbelief at Evans being chosen the match’s top performer at his age. He predicted that the criticisms will persist since United is in desperate need of securing victories to earn points. Berbatov expressed his incredulity at United’s current league standing – 14th place – and stated that the only rectifying measure is earning points, which seems challenging given their actual form.