I don’t need vote of confidence, says Erik ten Hag as fog delays Manchester United

Man Utd land late in Porto as Ten Hag insists he has no concerns about his position and has a good understanding with the hierarchy

Erik Ten Hag is adamant he has backing from Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth after preparations for the crunch clash in Porto were thrown into chaos over fog delays.
Ten Hag and his squad touched down in Portugal almost three hours later than planned after inclement weather meant their plane was delayed and circled the city before landing. He described them as “mad” after the crushing 3-0 defeat by Tottenham at the weekend.
But the Dutchman also insisted he was in constant dialogue with Ashton and the new hierarchy under new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as more questions are raised over his position in United’s latest slump.
He insists there is no need for a vote of confidence after keeping his job in the summer, extending his contract until 2026 and being given new players for his squad.
“It’s not necessary to give me confidence,” he said. “We talk every day about how we can improve this club, this team, improve the processes, the procedures, the connections. That is what we talk about.
“We are a union and we made that commitment in the summer. We refreshed the staff and I appointed my assistants, I appointed the staff. I did this. We refreshed the squad as well.
“This club wants to be back on top and it’s a long-term target. We talk every day. Every day we evaluate and review the process and where necessary we make our decisions.”
United, with Harry Maguire back fit, trained at their Carrington headquarters before flying out from Manchester but hopes of smooth preparation to get their European campaign back on track were hit by the weather conditions.
With rain and fog in Porto, United were delayed taking off and arrived more than two hours after Ten Hag’s press duties were due to start, with Diogo Dalot’s media appearance for the Uefa press conference scrapped.
After the loss at the weekend that brought more pressure on Ten Hag, disruptive problems away from the training pitch was the last thing he needed as he looks for results to turn United’s season around.
But he says there are no excuses, adding: “Everyone has to take responsibility and that starts with me as the manager. But on the pitch we have leadership skills and they have to stand up. Every game for us is important and every opponent is 100% motivated. We have to be ready to compete and fight with them.
“We are mad [after the Spurs defeat], mad with ourselves, especially when you lose a game like Sunday… but you have to deal with it. We are mad, and from the madness we have to get motivation.
“Always, when we are not winning we are disappointed and we are also mad with ourselves.
“In one game there is a review of what we could have done better, for instance after conceding so quickly a goal which shouldn’t happen, you have to keep calm and composed and stay in the game and stick to the plan. We can improve definitely.”
Ten Hag gave an interview to Sky Sports ahead of the flying out to Portugal where he insisted he was not “anxious” about his job despite the intense scrutiny on his position after another slump in form.
United are looking to reset as they did in the FA Cup final victory last season when Ten Hag looked on the brink. The Dutchman says his players must keep faith in his plan to get them out of their current position of 13th in the Premier League. In Europe they only picked up a point against FC Twente in their opening game of the Europa League.
“If you lose your faith, you lose everything,” Ten Hag added.
Porto manager Vitor Bruno is wary of underestimating United despite the pressure on Ten Hag. “I’ve heard a lot of people saying that he was coming with a rope around his neck but it would be a huge mistake,” he said. “We are talking about world-class players. If you tell a different story, it doesn’t relate to the truth. In Portugal, if you lose one match you are almost dead.”
Mason Mount did not travel to Portugal after sustaining a cut to his head at the weekend, but Kobbie Mainoo was declared fit despite coming off at half-time with a hamstring issue. Maguire has recovered from a knock that ruled him out of the Spurs defeat.