Manchester United CEO: Support for Ten Hag Continues Despite Poor Performance; Director: Sancho’s Departure is a Win-Win Deal

The British media outlet, The Athletic, published an extensive article citing statements from Manchester United CEO, Richard Arnold, and Sporting Director, Ashworth, to address some of the recent hot topics surrounding the club, particularly focusing on issues related to Ten Hag, transfer activities, and player sales.

Manchester United CEO, Richard Arnold, emphasized that the club decided to retain Ten Hag and extend his contract during the summer, a decision made before he and the director took office. However, they also believe supporting Ten Hag was the right choice: “In terms of the contract, this was a decision made before we two arrived. But as I mentioned earlier, we are very satisfied with this decision. Erik (Ten Hag) has our full support, and we have been closely cooperating throughout the summer window to help him achieve good results. Despite the current poor performance, do we still trust him? Of course! We believe Erik is the right coach for us.”

Ashworth pointed out: “I only started working on July 1st, and over the past eight weeks, I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik. I believe my job is to support him in every possible way, whether it’s in transfers, or in medical, psychological, and training aspects. I hope to reduce his burden as much as possible so that he can focus on the training ground and tactics.”

Some of Manchester United’s transfers this summer, such as bringing in some “old acquaintances, Dutch players,” have caused some controversy. However, the club’s director pointed out: “It’s common practice in all departments to work with people you’ve previously collaborated with. But I must emphasize that this summer, we also signed players who have never worked with Erik, like Yero, and he has never worked with Zirkzee. You can’t say they know each other just because the players are Dutch! As I’ve stressed many times, the decision on who to bring into the club is a joint decision by various departments.”

Manchester United sold some players in the summer, regarding which the club’s director stated: “I think, for any player, whether it’s Jadon (Sancho), Scott (McTominay), or Aaron (Wan-Bissaka), if they wish to transfer to a new club, and if it’s suitable for both them and us, then we need to explore this possibility. We feel we have sufficient depth in the winger position, which allows us to make this decision—if it benefits both him and us, it’s something we’re willing to consider. No future for Sancho? Not at all; this is a decision we made, he wanted to explore opportunities at Chelsea, just as Scott wanted to explore opportunities at Napoli, and Aaron at West Ham. We don’t kick players out of the club!”

The club’s director indicated that he was satisfied with the operations during the summer window: “I must say, I like this squad. I might have experienced about 25 transfer windows and have been in this field for quite some time. I don’t think any window is perfect; not every deal is what we want… However, overall, the positions we aimed to strengthen, the players we brought in, when everyone is fully fit, the depth and options that Ten Hag and the club have, I am satisfied with.”