'I don't want to answer' — Man United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe refuses to back Ten Hag amid sack rumours

Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has distanced himself from decisions about Erik ten Hag's future as manager.

Ten Hag is under growing pressure after a tough start to the season, with United languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Ratcliffe made significant changes behind the scenes during his first summer in charge, bringing in Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, and Jason Wilcox. He pointed out that these new appointments have only just begun their roles.

When asked about his faith in Ten Hag, Ratcliffe told the BBC:

"I don’t want to answer that question… I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach, but at the end of the day, it’s not my call.

The management team running Manchester United has to decide how we best run the team in many different respects."

Ratcliffe, speaking from Barcelona where he's attending the Americas Cup, emphasised the need for patience:

"That team running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March, or April – Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth... They only arrived in July.

"They’ve only been there... you can count it in weeks almost. They’ve not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.

"Our objective is very clear: we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet. That’s very clear."