Manchester United

John Murtough pleased with Erik ten Hag start at Manchester United

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 23 September 2022

John Murtough pleased with Erik ten Hag start at Man United

Manchester United director John Murtough hails Erik ten Hag's start to life at Old Trafford amid the Red Devils' four-game winning streak in the Premier League.

Manchester United director of football John Murtough has hailed the "increased unity, focus and drive" that Erik ten Hag has brought to the club.

The Red Devils hired the ex-Ajax coach as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's permanent successor at the end of the 2021-22 season, and he wasted no time moulding the squad into his own vision.

Man United spent big to bring Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Antony and Casemiro to the club, as well as snapping up Christian Eriksen as a free agent and signing Martin Dubravka on loan from Newcastle United.

However, the 20-time English champions endured a disastrous start to on-field proceedings, suffering back-to-back defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.

Ten Hag has since turned the Red Devils' fortunes around, though, securing successive top-flight wins over Southampton, Liverpool, Leicester City and Arsenal.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag on July 15, 2022 © Reuters

Man United's four-game domestic winning streak has seen Ten Hag earn a nomination for the Premier League's Manager of the Month for September, and Murtough is pleased with the impact that the 52-year-old has made so far.

"After a thorough search and due diligence process, it was clear to us that Erik was the strongest candidate, based on his outstanding coaching record, his commitment to the proactive, attacking football we want to play, and the vision and ambition he showed for the role," Murtough told Man United's official media channels.

"There is still a long way to go, but we have already seen, during his first four months in charge, an increased unity, focus and drive that bodes well for the future."

Ten Hag is understood to be keen to bolster his squad further in the January transfer window, although those higher up are supposedly against shelling out more money after their big summer of spending.

However, Murtough has insisted that the club will continue to support Ten Hag in the transfer market without breaking the bank.

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, Mitchell van der Gaag, director of football John Murtough, Steve McClaren and chief executive officer Richard Arnold in the stands on May 22, 2022 © Reuters

"We will continue to support Erik in ensuring he has players with the right quality and characters to achieve success, while ensuring that investment remains consistent with our commitment to financial sustainability," Murtough added.

Ten Hag is up against Tottenham Hotspur's Antonio Conte and Bournemouth's Gary O'Neil for September's Manager of the Month award after leading the Red Devils to fifth place in the table.

Man United begun their Europa League campaign in disappointing fashion with a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad, but they responded with a 2-0 success at Sheriff Tiraspol before the international break.

The Red Devils will endeavour to make it five straight Premier League wins when they take on Manchester City in the Manchester derby on October 2 at the Etihad Stadium.