Ten Hag backs Sir Alex despite end to ambassador role

Erik ten Hag admits Sir Alex Ferguson stepping down from his Manchester United ambassadorial role will have an impact on the club.

Part-owner INEOS has been overseeing cost-cutting measures since taking charge of football operations when Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in the Premier League club.

Ten Hag said: “It has an impact on us. Sir Alex is Manchester United. He built United to where it is now. Sir Alex’s wants to see a winning Manchester United.

“I’m sure he’s always available for every advice and we will meet him in the short-term again like we have done in the last two years.

“We have good contact. Once every half a year I meet with him formally but we also have informal meetings around games.

“We can’t match the standards he set but we’ve still won trophies. Six years before, this club didn’t win trophies. We are coming back. We are returning. But we need all the processes right and construct a team that lines up the best players.

“There is no club in the world that has expectations as so high as Manchester United – that is set in the era from Sir Alex. And the rest who come after have to deal with this – but that’s nice, that’s what you want, a big challenge. It demands the highest standards of every process and obviously we are not there in every process.

“We haven’t challenged for the Premier League or the Champions League but that is ambition – that is the expectations. But we managed to win some trophies.”

Sky Sports