23 February 2024 , 22:30
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Erik ten Hag is confident he can achieve Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s target of Champions League football to hang on to his job as Manchester United boss.
Ratcliffe completed his investment into United this week to take over their football operations and will axe Ten Hag if he does not qualify for the Champions League. United are sixth, five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, and Ten Hag is bullish he can meet this goal.
“Absolutely, I have that feeling,” he said. “We have so many talks, we are very aligned. We have the same ambition, we are very aligned in the process. It’s normal pressure because we have the same ambition. We have the same targets.”
United have won their last four Premier League games ahead of Saturday's visit of Fulham to Old Trafford and Ten Hag insists they are improving. He understands why United’s Champions League prospects are being questioned and is confident he can deliver.
“It will always be the case,” he said. “But I see this team is developing, it’s progressing. I see we have now also the right age across the squad, we can make that even stronger and they will grow.
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“We’re still in a moment where every game is a final for us. Of course, we have to be in the Champions League. The players all want this, the team wants this, we have a strong ambition and we belong there, that’s what we believe. But then you have to prove it.”
Ten Hag insists he has had several conversations with minority shareholder Ratcliffe and that they are on the same page.
“We speak a lot,” he said. “There are many conversations with him, with Dave Brailsford about this club, about the team, about the structures, we are very aligned. It totally fits with ambitions I have, with the ambitions I had when I came in.
“So we are in a project. For me, I’m now 19 months in and I see we are going in the right direction. We’ve had setbacks in the second season, but you see the team coming, you see the squad progressing and developing.
“We must keep going in this process, we must work hard on the training pitch, work hard during games. Of course, it’s important to have the players fit, but also to construct the squad. I’m sure we will be strong and we will be even stronger when we add to this squad even more qualities.”
Ratcliffe wants to bring Dan Ashworth in from Newcastle to be United’s new sporting director and Ten Hag has told him he must have the final say on signings.
“It’s control and I’ve had the talks with them about it,” he said. “They will not bring in players who the manager doesn’t want, because that will not work.
“We will work together, with suggestions, bringing players in and discussing. Then it’s about picking the right players. It’s about co-operation and togetherness. That’s the way they want to work.”
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