Ten Hag ‘convinced’ he can lead Manchester United out of slump

Erik ten Hag says he is the right man to lead Manchester United out of their tough times after Nottingham Forest handed the team their ninth Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday.

United are nine points outside the top four and out of European competition heading into 2024. The club will also undergo a change in football structure when INEOS finalizes its 25% investment with the ratification of the Premier League in the weeks to come.

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INEOS sporting director Dave Brailsford, who will be part of a three-person football board once the deal is completed, saw United lose 2-1 at Forest, but Ten Hag is convinced he can get the team out of this difficult period.

“Of course they [INEOS] They know me and they know that when I have the team available, the results will be there,” Ten Hag said. “We have already proven against the best teams that we can compete.

“I am convinced and I have a strong belief that we can progress in this team and get more consistency than this moment. It is part of a project.

“We overperformed last year, this year – so far – we are underperforming and we need to do better. We need to step up. I need to lead the process.

“I know when [injured] the players are coming back, I'm sure this team will be stronger. You have to be clear, clinical and analyze this. »

United lost at Forest after beating title-chasing Aston Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford in midweek. Ten Hag's side also earned a 0-0 draw at Liverpool this month, becoming the only team to avoid defeat at Anfield against Jurgen Klopp's side in the league this season before the 2-0 draw. 2 from Arsenal last week.

And Ten Hag admits that inconsistency is a big problem his team must overcome.

“One thing is clear, we are not consistent,” he said. “We can beat the best teams in the league, but we also lose to the others and today was one of them.”