Erik ten Hag breaks silence on Dan Ashworth relationship amid Man United sack talk

Erik ten Hag has revealed that he is maintaining regular contact with director of football Dan Ashworth as he fights to secure his position at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman is under immense scrutiny at Manchester United following a poor start to the Premier League that ranks among the worst in the club's history. Despite this, the hierarchy at United are keeping faith with Ten Hag for now, but he faces a critical week ahead.

United are gearing up for their Europa League tie against Porto on Thursday, followed by a Premier League encounter with Aston Villa. These upcoming matches are crucial for Ten Hag as he seeks to address growing concerns over his management.

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Acknowledging the frequency of his discussions with Ashworth, Ten Hag asserted in a press conference before the Porto match: "We talk everyday. We are a union and we made that commitment in the summer.

"We refreshed the staff and I appointed my assistants, I appointed the staff. I did this. We refreshed the squad as well.

"It's not necessary to give me confidence. We talk every day about how we can improve this club, this team, improve the processes, the procedures, the connections. That is what we talk about."

Earlier, Ten Hags' future was uncertain, with the possibility of an exit in the summer. Yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe, minority owner, staged a dramatic change of heart to retain him, later backing that decision with significant investment in the squad.

A significant number of the signings, including Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, had previously played under Ten Hag. Ashworth defended this approach earlier in the season. He said: "It's human nature to work with somebody you've worked with previously in all contexts, in all business contexts. That is a natural sway, because you know that person, because you know that player.

"But we've also signed a number of players this summer who haven't worked with Erik previously Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, he'd never worked with Joshua Zirkzee - and you can't say 'just because he's Dutch' that he knows him.

"You would put the whole of the English market to me [if that were the case]. He's not worked with him before. He's worked with Matthijs and Nous [Mazraoui] previously, but as I've said before, they were both on our radar and it's a joined-up decision on who comes in and out of this football club."

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