Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has declined to provide any guarantees about the future of embattled manager Erik ten Hag, stating that the decision lies beyond his control.

Ten Hag is under mounting pressure following a string of four consecutive games without a win.

The Dutchman faces a pivotal match against Aston Villa on Sunday, with Ratcliffe expected to attend the game at Villa Park.

However, Ratcliffe emphasized that any decision regarding a managerial change would not be his to make.

When asked by the BBC in Barcelona if he still supported Ten Hag, Ratcliffe 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 have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.”

Since Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in February, the club has undergone significant structural changes.

Omar Berrada has been named CEO, while Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox have taken on the roles of sporting director and technical director, respectively.

“That team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July,” Ratcliffe said.

“They weren’t there in January, February, March or April. Omar, 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.”

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