Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag 'confident he will get time under Sir Jim Ratcliffe'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 15 December 2023

Ten Hag 'confident he will get time under Ratcliffe'

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly confident that he will receive time to prove himself under likely new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly expecting to receive time to impress under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

After months of speculation, it has been widely suggested that Ratcliffe will formally purchase 25% of the Premier League giants in the very near future.

That would see Ratcliffe take over football operations at Old Trafford, spearheading the club in the transfer market at a time when a rebuild is required.

As well as already being dumped out of Europe after finishing last in a Champions League group that involved Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, United sit in sixth position in the Premier League.

Although the Red Devils have 27 points from 16 games, they have suffered seven defeats, their most recent being a 3-0 reverse at home to Bournemouth.

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag on December 6, 2023 © Reuters

The consequence of that is a number of alternatives being linked with a move to United as a replacement for Ten Hag, who is yet to convince that he is the man to turn the team into title challengers.

Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter - most recently of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea respectively - have allegedly been shortlisted by Ratcliffe.

However, according to The Sun, Ten Hag does not expect Ratcliffe to make a quick decision on his future once his stake in United is confirmed.

Ten Hag is allegedly confident that he can convince Ratcliffe to hold fire with a change in the dugout by presenting his plans to make changes over the next two transfer windows.

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag on November 1, 2023 © Reuters

A recent report indicated that United were prepared to offload five players in order to free up funds for new signings, whether that be in January or later in 2024.

Although United are keen to make alterations at the midway point of the campaign, their poor showing in Europe will significantly impact on their revenue and funds that are able to be made available.

Ratcliffe is already said to have held at least one conversation with Potter about becoming the next head coach at United, with the Englishman having been out of work since April.

Furthermore, Potter has previously been targeted by Ratcliffe to become manager at Nice, who Ratcliffe owns, before opting to take an extended break away from the dugout.