Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag has reaffirmed that he is still in control of the dressing room at Old Trafford amidst the performance crisis his team is going through.
The Dutchman has come under intense pressure with his job at great risk following a terrible start to the season made worse by the club’s humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham last weekend.
One of the explanations offered by analysts for United’s poor form is that ten Hag no longer has control over much of the dressing room. However, the manager has debunked this claim. He responded to questions about the state of the team’s dressing room ahead of their Europa League clash against Porto. He said,
“Yes, in this group there is a good spirit. You see this is a team that want to fight for each other. They are very disappointed. But they are resilient people and they will bounce back. Even after all the setbacks, they kept going. You see that spirit in this team and you see this is a team that want to fight for each other. I watched the game back once. Sometimes you scroll a little bit back to find more understanding, but only one time. It’s a bad performance; I have to address the problems and to give the solutions to the team.”
The next two games against Porto and Aston Villa are critical for the manager’s job. A less than desirable result against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday after forcing a draw against Twente will put ten Hag’s job in a precarious position.
Currently 13th on the league table with a minus-three goal difference, United go into their weekend away fixture against an Aston Villa side much in form. It is being speculated that if the United manager fails to deliver satisfactory results in these next two games, he may be shown the door before the end of the next international break. The manager got a boost yesterday as his captain’s three-match ban was overturned by an FA panel. Bruno Fernandes’ leadership is another pivotal factor in the coming days, especially in the dressing room.
