Manager Erik ten Hag (53), who took over as interim manager less than a week after British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe (71), became a minority owner at Manchester United, is focusing on the team’s upcoming match against Nottingham Forest instead of getting sidetracked by the new arrangement.
Erik ten Hag remains unaffected by Ratcliffe’s investment in Manchester United.
The Dutchman has been busy over the Christmas break, playing United against Aston Villa 3-2 on Tuesday and Forest away on Saturday. He hasn’t spoken to anyone from Ratcliffe’s INEOS group yet.
“I’m excited. Ten Hag said during a news conference that the INEOS company, which will assume control of the club’s football activities, “want to work with me, I want to work with them, we will have the conversations, the meetings.”
I declined (to conversations) since I’m now concentrating on the game. I don’t want any distractions right now. There will be time for us in the upcoming days and weeks, at which point I’ll know more.
“It’s a very wonderful thing, in my opinion. We are incredibly excited to collaborate. In this arrangement, INEOS wants to collaborate with me, and I want to collaborate with them.”
The manager is also awaiting the players’ injury recoveries, but not for the Forest trip.
Ten Hag said reporters, “It will be a similar squad as we had against Villa.”
We anticipate several players returning by mid-January. Mason Mount, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, and Mason Mount, so naturally, Harry Maguire is expected.”
United is now seventh in the standings at the halfway stage of the season, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Ten Hag finds great solace in the fact that United overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the formidable Villa, even in spite of their injury woes.
“We proved, despite all the setbacks, I think not any team can deal with so many setbacks as we had,” remarked the coach.
We are not satisfied with the number of points, but you must be happy. The team is formidable when every player returns. We faced off against the league’s top three teams—Liverpool, Arsenal, and Villa—and proved that we could defeat anyone.”
In what was Nuno Espirito Santo’s second game in command, United plays a Forest team coming off a 3-1 victory away to Newcastle United on Tuesday.
“With them, you observe how a new management is received. Ten Hag remarked, “You see the spirit, we have to be prepared for that.”
16th place Forest with 17 points.
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