Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, owner of INEOS and holding a 27.7% stake in Manchester United, has distanced himself from the future of Erik Ten Hag, stating that it is up to the sporting director to make those decisions.

In an interview with the British broadcaster BBC, Ratcliffe referred to the Dutchman as a "very good coach," but emphasized that the decision regarding his future does not lie with him.

"It is the sporting director who manages Manchester United and needs to decide how to steer the club better in certain aspects. But this team has only been together since June or July," Ratcliffe added.

The arrivals of executive director Omar Berrada, from Manchester City, and sporting director Dan Ashworth, from Newcastle United, occurred in July, and both have stated they were not involved in the decision to extend Ten Hag's contract until 2026.

"They have only been together for weeks; that’s not a lot of time to make important decisions. Our objective is clear: we want Manchester United back to where it deserves to be, and right now it is not there, clearly," he emphasized.

The Old Trafford club has matched its worst start to a season, with seven points from 18 possible and a disappointing start in Europe, having drawn against Twente and Porto. This follows last season, which was the worst in United's Premier League history, salvaged at the last moment by a win in the FA Cup final that led to Ten Hag's renewal.