Dan Ashworth has already explained why Man Utd won’t sack Erik ten Hag this week
Manchester United are facing fresh calls to sack Erik ten Hag in the aftermath of the 3-0 thrashing by fierce rivals Liverpool rivacy Policy
“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.”
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United are facing new calls to axe Ten Hag just two months later following another sluggish start to the season. After losing the Community Shield on penalties against City at Wembley, they have lost two of their first three Premier League games.
They were outclassed by bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday as the Reds won 3-0. But United will not be getting rid of Ten Hag despite a number of high-profile coaches – Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate – being readily available.
Back in October 2023, speaking to the University Campus of Football Business when he was the sporting director of United’s rivals Newcastle, Ashworth explained that clubs must take a long-term view when it comes to head coaches. ord (Image: GETTY)
He said: “It’s really important to have a vision. That’s normally set by the board. A vision or target that people can aspire to and align to. Once you’ve got your vision, it’s about setting a plan where everyone feels a part of that plan.
“There’s a great quote: ‘A vision without a plan is just a dream, a plan without a dream is boring.’ Where clubs have to be careful is reacting to short-term form or short-term luck if you don’t pick up a win for three or four games. The Premier League, in particular, can do that to you.
“Our [Newcastle’s] first run of four games [in 2023-24] was incredibly difficult: Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton. It’s a really tricky start. All games in the Premier League are tough, but we could easily have had one point out of those first four games.
“We won the first one and then we lost [against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton]. You just have to be a little bit careful that you don’t react to short-term results as a sporting director, as a board, as an ownership, as supporters, and just concentrate a little bit more on the medium to long-term.
“There’s always moments for every team where you have rocky periods and you don’t quite hit the levels which your vision or your expectation may have.”
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