Sir Jim Ratcliffe gives worrying seven-word response when asked if he has faith in Erik ten Hag to turn Man United around – but says it’s NOT his decision on whether to sack the manager

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has refused to publicly back beleaguered boss Erik ten Hag as the future of the Manchester United boss hangs in the balance.

Pressure is mounting on Ten Hag after a disappointing start to the season, with United heading to in-form Aston Villa on Sunday in desperate need of a win.

Ratcliffe, a minority co-owner at Old Trafford, is expected to make the trip to Villa Park to see Ten Hag and his players in person and that has raised further concerns over Ten Hag’s job security.

Over the summer Ratcliffe had lunch with former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel about the possibility of replacing Ten Hag as manager.

Ratcliffe and his Ineos leadership team eventually settled on sticking with Ten Hag as they felt they had the best manager available.

The Dutchman has come under increasing pressure due to poor performances and could see his time as United boss end if the Red Devils suffer defeat by Aston Villa this weekend

But pressed on Friday on whether he retains faith in the beleaguered Dutchman, Ratcliffe would not be drawn.

‘I don’t want to answer that question,’ he told the BBC.

‘I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.’

Ten Hag said this week that ‘everybody is in the same boat’ and that he is in daily contact with key figures such as sporting director Dan Ashworth and CEO Omar Berrada.

In Ratcliffe’s opinion, the restructuring of the United hierarchy needs to be afforded time to find its groove.

He added: ’That team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April – [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [Sporting Director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July.

Ratcliffe insisted that the decision over whether to sack Ten Hag will be taken by the club’s new management team. Pictured (L-R): Ineos head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, United CEO Omar Berrada and United sporting director Dan Ashworth

‘They’ve only been there…you can count it in weeks almost – they’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.

‘Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously – that’s very clear.’