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The defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford on the weekend set the alarm bells ringing and with a crucial FA Cup clash against Nottingham Forest coming, the pressure is ramping up.
Erik ten Hag spoke to the media in an embargoed section ahead of the game and came out fighting.
He dismissed suggestions that he’s “on trial” with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, stressing that both sides are in constant communication.
He said: “I know what I’m doing. I’ve had many talks [with Sir Jim Ratcliffe], and consistently we are having talks about the future, about the future together.
“I know what we are talking about. I have a strong belief and I feel that they believe me.”
The loss to Fulham was United’s first after four consecutive wins, and Ten Hag insinuated an agenda against him in the press which “I can’t take seriously”.
Ten Hag said: “If you talk about one defeat and the manager’s position is in discussion, I think it’s quite opportune after two months without a defeat. I can’t pick something from this, I can’t take it seriously. I have to stay focused again on the team and on the team’s performance.”
Ten Had stressed that he’s under contract for three years and doesn’t pay attention to rumours, only focusing on the team performance and processes.
A player who hasn’t been able to become a huge part of the team’s performance is Antony.
Bouth for £85 million last year, the Brazilian has struggled to impress and has lost his place in the first team. Factors off the pitch have previously been mentioned by Ten Hag as a reason behind his dip in form.
Now, the manager claims Antony has put those days behind him.
He said: “Not anymore, but it did (off-field case affecting his performance). Now he’s put that behind him, but for a period of the season it had an impact on him, It showed in his performances.”
Ten Hag alluded to Antony’s encouraging performance in pre-season which immediately took a dive when the affair came out, even though “he’s one of the very brave ones”.
He said: “In pre-season, I think he [Antony] played very well. But when the affair came out, he was no longer the same person. It affected his confidence even though he is someone “one of the very brave ones. He must find that again. We support him.”
Finally, the manager took responsibility for his team’s inconsistency and said that it is up to him to find solutions and get the team to perform the best they can.
Fans would hope to see these words translated into action against Nottingham Forest otherwise another chance at a trophy will go up in flames.
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