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New Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has explained why manager Erik ten Hag struggled at the club last season. The Red Devils finished a lowly eighth in the league but won the FA Cup.
Following a promising debut season at Old Trafford - a third-place finish, an EFL Cup triumph and an FA Cup final - Ten Hag failed to get going in his sophomore campaign.
Due to a combination of injuries to key players and a loss of form, United endured their lowest-ever Premier League finish. They were set to finish outside the European places but upset holders Manchester City 2-1 in the FA Cup final to qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
That might have essentially kept Ten Hag at the Old Trafford helm after the hierarchy was widely reported to be scouting for replacements. A day after United started their 2024-25 season with an FA Community Shield loss to City, Ratcliffe threw a sneak peek into why the Dutchman struggled last season, telling The Times (via the Mirror):
"Erik is a good guy and had been doing his best but doing too much. He was trying to sort out the squad and fix leaks in the roof at the same time."
He also reflected on the 'vacuum' when legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and managing director David Gill departed in the summer of 2013:
"Up until that point, those two had been managing the sports side of the club and the Glazer family (the club's majority owners) had managed the commercial side very well. And then all of a sudden there's this vacuum."
Manchester United open their Premier League campaign at home to Fulham on August 16.
"It's a big responsibility to return Manchester United to where it should be" - Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe assumed minority charge of Manchester United by shelling out a reported £1.3 billion, taking control of the club's football operations. The Red Devils have added reinforcements to their squad this off-season.
They snapped up Lille centre-back Leny Yoro and Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee as they sought a return to their halcyon days. In the aforementioned interaction, Ratcliffe said:
"I mean, the results speak for themselves. In the last ten or eleven years, it should have been a contender for the Premier League and Champions League (trophies) every year and it hasn't at all.
"It is a big responsibility to return the club to where it should be. It should be performing at least in the top eight in Europe."
Manchester United went down 7-6 on penalties to City in the Community Shield on Saturday (August 10), conceding an 89th-minute equalizer and squandering a 3-1 lead in the ensuing shootout.
