Sir Jim Ratcliffe breaks silence on Erik ten Hag as Man Utd chief refuses to back manager

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has refused to reassure Erik ten Hag that his job as Manchester United manager is safe amid a disastrous start to his third season in charge. During a public appearance in Barcelona, Ratcliffe praised the Dutchman's coaching abilities but nudged the responsibility over a decision on his future to others at Old Trafford.

The Ineos chief, who owns 28 per cent of United, will ultimately make the final call on Ten Hag, along with majority shareholders, the Glazer family.

But he has spent the first several months of his investment in the club forming a best-in-class team of executives to run the day-to-day football operations.

New chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, with support from technical director Jason Wilcox, are the figures assessing the project's direction.

All three are stationed at Carrington and hold regular meetings with Ten Hag and his staff. They will be the ones to recommend a change of leadership should United fail to improve.

Ratcliffe spoke to BBC Sport in Barcelona, where Ineos' sailing team have been participating in the 37th America's Cup.

When asked whether he had faith in Ten Hag, the 71-year-old responded: "I don't want to answer that question… 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 has to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

"But 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 – Omar [Berrada], Dan Ashworth - they only arrived in July.

"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."

Ineos backed Ten Hag with around £200million in the summer transfer window after a search for a potential replacement ended with him extending his contract until 2026.

But United have won just three of 10 matches this season - against Fulham, Southampton and Barnsley - which has evaporated the optimism among supporters spawned from May's FA Cup triumph.

Back-to-back 3-0 home league defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham have intensified the scrutiny. Another loss at Aston Villa on Sunday could force Ratcliffe's decision-makers into action.