The international break is about to end and Manchester United will be back in action but for Erik ten Hag, this break invited more scrutiny as matches weren’t there to concentrate people’s minds.
Ineos’ meeting during the break became an event in itself as it was reported that Erik ten Hag’s future will be discussed.
Suggestions as far as saying that a potential decision on his sacking even was made but as it stands, the Man Utd manager is set to be in the dugout when Manchester United face Brentford next.
It might well change in the future and someone like Thomas Tuchel has been linked to the United job, but Fabrizio Romano has given his latest update on the state of affairs at the club and what happened at the all-important Ineos meeting during the break.
Fabrizio Romano on Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
Just three wins from 11 games across all competitions has plunged the Man Utd squad into crisis mode and there’s no FA Cup final on the horizon to whitewash the perception.
As such, it was no surprise when it was reported that Ten Hag’s future will be near the top of the agenda when Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co meet.
Ultimately, that meeting came and went without any official communication from the club or the manager so it’s rightly assumed that the status quo remains.
However, that doesn’t mean Ten Hag is free from scrutiny, as Fabrizio Romano reported on his YouTube channel.
He said: “They are preparing for the Brentford game. Ten Hag didn’t receive any formal communication from the Man Utd board telling him he could continue in the job.
“Man Utd board never felt they had to tell the manager anything. They discussed the situation, the problems they have at the club, and the slow start in the Premier League and Europa League but they never had to tell something directly to Ten Hag.
“The club insists that he was never really close to getting fired this week or the last. So, this is the feeling- they have problems, and they are discussing the position of Ten Hag for sure, but was never something close to being resolved in recent days.
“This is why Erik ten Hag has always been focused on the Brentford game to improve the situation in terms of results and performances.” [Relevant comments near 3.34 minute mark].
A silent statement of confidence for Ten Hag
In football terms, nothing probably scares a manager quite like a public statement of confidence as it’s an acknowledgment by the club that the manager’s job is, in fact, in danger but they’re sticking with him.
Therefore, Ineos did well to ignore the external noise and operate business as usual by not making any details from the meeting public.
Ten Hag was given five new players and a new Man Utd coaching staff this summer in a big show of confidence from the board.
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It was always unlikely that they flip over the whole project just 11 games into the season even though United’s performances recently have hardly been promising.
With an injury crisis also brewing at Man Utd, the challenge will only get tougher from here but is one the board is clearly trusting Ten Hag to overcome.
However, if the results don’t improve soon and the all-important Champions League qualification moves further away, panic stations could trigger.
In that case, no amount of confidence, public or silent, will overcome the state of affairs at the club.
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