Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has insisted that the club are heading "in the right direction" under his management and has called for patience from the board.
Saturday's 1-0 loss to Newcastle United in the Premier League has led to fresh speculation surrounding Ten Hag's future, with the Dutchman's position at the helm being called into question.
There have been suggestions that poor results in the team's next three home games against Chelsea, Bournemouth and Bayern Munich could lead to Ten Hag losing his job as head coach.
Dressing-room issues have allegedly surfaced of late, with a number of players said to be losing faith in the 53-year-old, who delivered an EFL Cup trophy in his first season as head coach of the 20-time English champions.
However, speaking ahead of Wednesday's clash with Chelsea, Ten Hag has urged the club to back him, insisting that he is capable of helping the club in its bid to return to former glories.
.JPG?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes looks dejected after Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon scores their first goal on December 2, 2023")
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"There will be always tough times in every journey. We are in the right direction and I know we will get where we want to be. Because [you can] see my record," Ten Hag told reporters.
"Everywhere I have been, in every season, I have got my targets. If we stick together and we stick to the plan and the strategy, we will get where we want to be.
"I am patient. I can't say in this club that we are waiting for two or three years. In this club the aim is, and I think the demands and the standards should be, that you win every game. Go into every game with that aim. I demand my team and players win every game.
"It doesn't matter who the opponent is and I will stick to that. That brought us, last year, very far. We were third in the league, in the FA Cup final, and we could even have won the FA Cup final, and we won the Carabao Cup. That mentality, I don't want to change this.
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"Because that will be a drop off in culture. That means, yeah, there is a high standard [expected of] me and also me with the team. There are also high standards on the players and I don't make compromises in that.
"I am very realistic but also on these occasions we talk more about it, there is competition in the league which is very tough. There are many good opponents and I think the level increased a lot.
"I told you two weeks ago, you can see the physical outputs increased a lot in the last three or four months in the Premier League. That means that as a club, as a team, you have to match the standards.
"There is no way you can do less because if you do less you can never achieve what you want to achieve. And yes, we want to win the Premier League and the Champions League."
Man United have already lost 10 times in all competitions this season, with six of those coming in the Premier League, where they occupy seventh position ahead of the visit of Chelsea.
Matt Law
