Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner of Manchester United, has cast further doubt on Erik ten Hag's future by stating that any decision regarding the manager is 'not my call'. Speaking in Barcelona, following the victory of the Ineos Britannia, the sailing team he funds, in the Louis Vuitton Cup, which secured their place in next week's America's Cup, Ratcliffe addressed questions about his other sporting interests. When asked by the BBC about Ten Hag, whose United team managed a 3-3 draw against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday thanks to Harry Maguire's late header, Ratcliffe was evasive. 'I don't want to answer that question,' said the billionaire, who acquired a 27.7% stake in the club last December. 'I like Erik, I think he's a very good coach, but ultimately, it's not my call.'
When Ratcliffe's Ineos team invested in United, the agreement included taking over sporting control from the Glazer family. In Barcelona, Ratcliffe revealed that he had delegated this control to CEO Omar Berrarda and sporting director Dan Ashworth, once they had fulfilled their commitments to their previous employers, Manchester City and Newcastle respectively. 'It's the management team running Manchester United that must decide how we best operate the team in various aspects,' Ratcliffe explained. 'However, this team has only been in place since June or July. They weren't involved in January, February, March, or April—Omar, Dan—they only joined in July.'
Ten Hag received a one-year contract extension in May, following United's FA Cup final victory over City. Despite this win at Wembley, United's Premier League performance has not improved. After seven matches, United are 13th in the table, having only defeated second-bottom Southampton and League One Barnsley in the Carabao Cup since August 16. In Thursday's match against Porto, United held a two-goal lead but conceded twice in seven minutes before Maguire's intervention rescued a team that had been reduced to 10 players due to Bruno Fernandes's indiscipline.
Ratcliffe commented on his appointed decision-makers: 'They've only been in their roles for a few weeks—they haven't been there long, so they need to assess the situation and make some sensible decisions. Our goal is clear—we want to return Manchester United to its rightful place, and it's evident that we're not there yet.' In Portugal, Ten Hag remained resolute. 'This team has the belief that they don't give up,' he said. 'They possess a positive mentality and a strong mindset. But there are other areas where they need to improve.' Regarding his future, Ten Hag remained unfazed: 'There are more areas where we will improve, definitely. And then we will see where we stand at the end of the season. I'm not concerned about such issues because they are not a topic. We are all in this together—the ownership, the leadership, the team, the staff.'
