Man Utd chiefs release Erik ten Hag statements in wake of disastrous Liverpool result

Manchester United chiefs Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth have publicly backed manager Erik ten Hag after their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at the weekend.

Liverpool cruised to victory on Sunday as goals from Luis Diaz [2] and Mohamed Salah extended Arne Slot's unbeaten start to life at the Reds.

United, meanwhile, suffered their second consecutive league defeat. Having spent £176 million in the recent transfer window, there has been an expectation for the club to push on.

But so far, they have struggled to build on last season's FA Cup win. In fact, fresh doubts were raised over Erik ten Hag after he narrowly avoided the sack this summer.

According to Sky Bet, Ten Hag is the joint-favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job, with the Dutchman currently priced at 11/4.

Amid the ongoing speculation surrounding Ten Hag's job, United CEO Omar Berrada has issued a public statement regarding Ten Hag's future.

Berrada, who was hired to re-establish United as a title-winning side, said: "Erik has our full backing and we have worked very closely together in this transfer window. We're going to continue working very closely with him to help him get the best results out of the team.

He added: "In terms of the contract, that was a decision that was taken prior to both of our arrivals. But we're very happy with that decision."

Berrada insisted they will support the Dutchman even if United's poor start continues, adding: "Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we're fully backing him."

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As well as Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth opened up on his relationship with Ten Hag.

"Very rarely do you go into a job as a sporting director and there's no manager in place. It happened at Newcastle with Eddie Howe and also at West Brom where Tony Mowbray was in place," he said.

"I've really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks. My job is to support him in every way I possibly can to fully focus on the training pitch and the match tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United."

After the weekend's disastrous display against Slot's men, Gary Neville said it was a "sobering" day for Ten Hag.

“Manchester United made terrible errors in possession, Casemiro in the first half, Kobbie Mainoo in the second. Liverpool pounced all over them Jurgen Klopp-style, winning the ball high up the pitch and then being devastating and precise,” he said on Sky Sports.

“Mo Salah in particular with those two passes in the first half for Diaz, and the finishes were fantastic.

“The next goal was always going to be important in the second half, Man Utd didn’t get it, Liverpool did. They fully deserved their victory today."

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Neville added: “It was a sobering day for Erik ten Hag, a sobering day for United’s players and for the new ownership sat in the stands en masse looking at it and thinking, ‘are we on the right path here?’

“That’s the question that they’ll have to ask in the next few months.”