Erik ten Hag affirmed that he is in sync with the Manchester United hierarchy and mentioned that he has not received any signals from the owners suggesting a lack of support. Earlier this week, United's co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, avoided explicitly backing Ten Hag, and the Dutchman admitted there is pressure to improve after a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa, witnessed by United's executives, marked their poorest start to a Premier League season.
With no wins in five matches across all competitions, United are 14th in the league, five points clear of the relegation zone, having scored only five goals in seven games. When asked if he feels supported by United's ownership, Ten Hag responded: “I have no reason to believe otherwise as they would have informed me [if not]. Our communication is very open and transparent.” Ten Hag expects to engage in discussions with United's decision-makers in the coming days. “I am in constant contact with them,” he said. “Every week, almost every day, we converse, so I anticipate speaking with them soon.”
Ten Hag acknowledged the increasing external scrutiny on his position but believes United are making progress. However, the sight of Harry Maguire leaving Villa Park with a protective plastic boot after an injury sustained before half-time was another setback. “Internally, we are dissatisfied and understand we need to perform better, particularly in scoring more goals, as this is an area we are lacking after this series of games,” Ten Hag said. “In all other aspects, we are performing well. We need to be more ruthless, more clinical, and develop a killer instinct. This is what we must focus on.”
Unai Emery, the Aston Villa manager, deemed the result “fair” and noted that Wednesday's Champions League victory over Bayern Munich affected their performance level. “Of course, competing in Europe and facing a team like Manchester United places high demands on us,” Emery said. “We aimed to assert ourselves and dominate. We wanted to put Wednesday behind us and play with full energy. Perhaps we needed some refreshed players.”
Emery also expressed uncertainty over whether Villa defender Ezri Konsa would join the England squad for their Nations League matches against Greece and Finland, after being forced off the field with a suspected hamstring injury. “I am unsure if it is a significant or minor injury,” the Villa manager said. “Hopefully, he can rest during the international break. We can use this time to recover our energy.”
