Ten Hag confident he has the backing of Ratcliffe to continue as Man Utd manager

Erik ten Hag believes he has the backing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and new co-owners Ineos to continue as Manchester United manager.

Ten Hag admitted that he has been too busy to speak to Ratcliffe or Ineos sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, but is happy with the assurances he has been given by former United chief executive Richard Arnold and interim CEO Patrick Stewart.

The deal for Ratcliffe to buy a quarter of the club for £1.3billion and run football operations at Old Trafford has raised questions over Ten Hag’s future after United lost 13 of 27 games this season and finished bottom of their Champions League group.

But Ten Hag said: ‘We are really looking really forward to working together. Ineos wants to work with me in this structure, and I want to work with them.

‘From the start of the process I was kept informed – first by Richard Arnold and later on by Patrick Stewart – so I know everything, I know every detail, how the meetings and talks and agreements are.

‘Now it just has to settle down and give us some time. I have to talk with them and then we will see, but I’m very positive about the messages I have been given.

‘The schedule is so condensed I didn't have the time so far to speak with them, but it will come.

‘I'm focused on the game so far, so I said no, in this moment I don't want to have distractions. But there will be time for this and then I'll know more. I think it's a good thing, it's very positive.

‘I’m looking forward to the talks with them. In other [football] clubs, they have experience, in other sports, they have a lot of knowledge so I’m really looking forward to [seeing] how they can contribute and I’m sure they can.

Football is a very complicated sport, especially at the top, so I’m sure they will