Manchester United send clear message to Erik ten Hag after Liverpool defeat | Football

Despite a disappointing eighth-place finish in the Premier League, Ten Hag remained in his post over the summer thanks, in part, to his side’s unlikely FA Cup win over Manchester City.

However, the pressure is firmly back on the Dutchman after a sluggish start to the season which has seen them fall to a late defeat against Brighton before being thumped 3-0 by Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Both Ashworth and Berrada arrived over the summer as fresh appointments by Sir Jim Ratcliffe to change the club’s footballing structure.

And while neither was involved in the decision to keep Ten Hag, both were keen to reiterate their support for the current boss despite the sticky start to the season.

Ashworth, meanwhile, who left his post as sporting director at Newcastle United to join the Red Devils, said he hoped to work alongside Ten Hag and ensure the Dutchman can focus solely on footballing maters.

‘I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks,’ he added.

‘I see my job is to support him in every way I possibly can — and whether that’s operationally, whether that’s with recruitment, whether that’s with medical, whether that’s with psychology, whether that’s training ground flow.

‘It’s just to take as much of that off him to allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and the match tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United.’

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