Challenger Erik ten Hag has emerged swinging over his future at Manchester United, accusing Jamie Carragher of having an agenda against him while insisting Sir Jim Ratcliffe does not need public support.
United face a potentially season-defining week that could have significant implications for Ten Hag’s future.
Wednesday’s visit to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round represents United’s last realistic chance of winning silverware this season. Losing to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday could leave Aston Villa 11 points clear of the top four if they beat Luton Town 24 hours earlier.
Ratcliffe, United’s minority shareholder, brushed off questions about Ten Hag’s future in talks last week.
However, Ten Hag, who has a contract until the end of next season, rejected the idea of being “tried” until the end of the season.
Asked if it would help if the Ineos billionaire announced he would remain as manager, Ten Hag said: “I have a contract for three seasons, so I don’t care.
“I just focus on the process, so I don’t care about what’s going on around me.
“I have had many meetings with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and also Sir Dave Brailsford. [the Ineos director of sport and club board member] and the others in that group, so I know where we’re talking, I have a strong belief and I feel like they believe in me, too.”
Scrutiny over Ten Hag intensified after United suffered their 10th league defeat of a troubled season last Saturday, with his side’s familiar flaws exposed in the 2-1 win at Fulham.
United’s pattern of getting in and out of possession led to devastating criticism from Carragher in a detailed analysis on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football; This led Ten Hag to imply that the former Liverpool defender had not been objective in his criticism of United since his arrival. in England.
For example, Carragher questioned the Premier League suitability of Lisandro Martinez in the 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022; Ten Hag’s first match as United manager.
“First of all, some analysts are very objective in their comments and give very good advice, while others are quite subjective; Jamie Carragher is one of them,” Ten Hag said.
“He criticized it from the first moment and now he wants to speak his mind.”
Ten Hag accepted that Carragher’s criticisms of United’s first-half play against Fulham and Fulham’s winning goal from Alex Iwobi had some validity.
“Probably in the first half hour, yeah, that [Carragher] “He was right,” said Ten Hag. “Fulham prepared little surprises in midfield.” [for us] and then we have to find the solutions.
“After half an hour, we found the solutions. I was especially unhappy with the defensive performance on the left wing.
“How we pressed because they came out down the left wing a couple of times, especially in the first half hour, and that can’t happen and it has to do with desire, it has to do with spirit, it has to do with passion, that was very important in the previous weeks. It was good for the team and that’s why we won football matches.
“I know football players are not robots, sometimes they have bad days. “But this can’t happen, it’s unacceptable, we have to do better tomorrow but we did a very good job in the previous weeks.”
Carragher questions Mainoo’s role
Carragher highlighted why United were not regularly compact and questioned Ten Hag’s instructions to young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, among others, and the space between midfield and defence.
“I want to highlight Mainoo, who has performed brilliantly since his arrival, but my question is, this is not a criticism of him, what are the instructions he gave before the game?” Carragher said. “From this direct kick-off he isn’t sure whether he should stop the midfielder or look for number 10. He is caught immediately after the kick-off; You have to know your stuff right from kick-off and that is the responsibility of the coaching staff.
“Twenty seconds into the game against Fulham, this has been a problem for Manchester United all season, there is space between the back four and the midfield.”
Ratcliffe has yet to offer any public assurances about Ten Hag’s future, but the Dutchman said he did not feel like he was effectively “on trial” until the end of the season. “No, but I want to win every match,” he said. “I know I’m in a process, I know what I’m doing.
“We have constant conversations and talk about the future together. I focus on these two points; “To move the team forward now and in the next game, to think about the future and do it together.”
Ten Hag insisted that he would not let “any noise” around him distract him. When asked if the persistent scrutiny of his future had negatively affected him, he replied: “No, I don’t think about that.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about the process and I need to manage the process. I don’t focus on my personal circumstances. I just focus on the team and need to find solutions that will enable this team to perform to the best of their ability. The important thing is to focus on this and not get distracted by any noise or anything else.
“This is for you, maybe for the fans to talk about. If you are talking about a defeat and the position of the manager is being discussed, I think it is quite appropriate after two months without defeat.
“I can’t get anything out of this, I can’t take it seriously. I need to focus again on the team and the team’s performance.”
Ten Hag also criticized United players for poor game management, with Fulham putting the ball in next to their own corner flag in the 97th minute and Iwobi scoring a dramatic winner.
“When there’s a throw-in from a corner it can’t happen, it’s not good how we managed it as a team,” he said.
Ten Hag’s tactics, as well as his transfer decisions at United, have come under serious scrutiny.
Antony’s form struggle
United’s £85 million signing Antony was left out of the starting XI against Fulham and academy graduate Omari Forson made his debut for the club following an injury to Rasmus Hojlund that has sidelined the Danish striker for up to three weeks.
Ten Hag believes allegations of assault against Antony, which the player has denied, have contributed to his struggles this season, with the Brazilian winger yet to score or assist in 20 Premier League appearances.
However, Ten Hag claims that personal problems are no longer a factor and believes that Antony will prove his worth.
Asked if off-field issues were still affecting Antony, the United manager said: “Not anymore, but it certainly has. He’s put that behind him now, but for a moment during the season it did affect him; you can tell from his performance, his attitude, but he’s back now.”
“I see it in the training he does. [that] and it will turn the corner.”
Pochettino responds to Neville’s joke
Ten Hag’s comments came as both Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp responded to Carragher’s Sky Sports colleague Gary Neville’s claim that Chelsea had a “billion pound bottle job” during the Carabao Cup final.
Pochettino joked that Neville’s comments stemmed from his disappointment with Liverpool winning, given their United connections.
“I haven’t talked to Gary, but I think he said yesterday, ‘That was my first feeling.’ It was Manchester United and he wanted Liverpool to lose! “That was a bit of it,” Pochettino said.
“I think he was disappointed because he was disappointed with the result. He said I love Pochettino and I’m disappointed at the moment and he put his feelings out there.”
Meanwhile, Klopp defended Chelsea in the face of Neville’s claim, saying: “This ‘bottling’ business is not really my thing. I really do not understand.
“They wanted it so bad and they didn’t get it and after the game I saw on the faces of the players and Poch it was a terrible feeling. “I don’t think anyone deserves those kinds of feelings.”