Erik ten Hag insists Manchester United’s poor start to the campaign is nothing “to panic about” as the under-fire manager ignores talk of the sack and focuses on ending the season with more silverware. May’s FA Cup final win against rivals Manchester City was the high point in a miserable campaign and helped save the Dutchman’s job after lengthy deliberation by ambitious Ineos. But Ten Hag’s third season in charge has begun in alarming fashion, with Sunday’s 3-0 home humbling by Tottenham ratcheting up the pressure on the United manager.
The 54-year-old is under the spotlight heading into Thursday’s Europa League clash at Porto and the Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, yet he remains in defiant mood. Asked if he thinks he will still be at United if the next two matches do not go well, Ten Hag told Sky Sports: “I’m not thinking about this. I’m not anxious as well.
“We are in here together. We made in the summer togetherness, the ownership, the leadership, this agreement, and we are all behind it. “We knew also what the strategy with young players in a transition period was and we know then also in which process you can come.
“This can happen but also they know in the end, when we are in May, in all my last six seasons always there were trophies, and that is what we are also now aiming for.” Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his first campaign and the FA Cup last term, but he will have to make it through the autumn if he is to stand any ch.