Erik ten Hag speaks out on Manchester United future under Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Erik ten Hag is adamant he has Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's confidence to execute his vision for the club.

Ratcliffe outlined his intention for United to "knock City off their perch" in midweek as part of a three-year plan to restore the club to the top of the English football pyramid.

Ten Hag was appointed United manager in 2022 and oversaw a successful first season as United ended their trophy drought with the League Cup, finished third in the Premier League table and reached the FA Cup final.

TEAM NEWS: Ten Hag hints at chances for players amid injury woes

TEAM NEWS: Loan recall and academy debuts - how United could solve their left-back dilemma

United have struggled this season, having gone out of the League Cup at the second hurdle before finishing bottom of their Champions League group. They are sixth in the league but have won their last five games and have an FA Cup fifth round tie against Nottingham Forest next week.

When asked if Ratcliffe is confident in him, Ten Hag replied: "Absolutely, I had that feeling. We have so many talks, we are very aligned. We have the same ambition, we are very aligned in the process."

"It's not from his press conference! We speak a lot, there are many conversations with him, with Dave Brailsford about this club, about the team, about the structures, we are very aligned. I embrace totally the ambitions.

"It totally fits with ambitions I have, the ambitions I had when I came in. We are in that project. I'm 19 months in and I see we are going in the right direction.

"We have had setbacks in the second season but you see the team coming, you see the squad progressing and developing, just keep going in the process, work hard on the training pitch, work hard