Erik ten Hag: Man Utd cannot reach the standards Sir Alex Ferguson set in current state

Dutchman says it is impossible to hide from pressure and expectations but is adamant club will be successful on his watch

Erik ten Hag has admitted Manchester United cannot match the standards set by Sir Alex Ferguson in their current state and says no one at the club is happy about their struggles.
But the United manager insisted they cannot hide from the pressure and expectation and is convinced the club will be successful on his watch.
United face Brentford at Old Trafford on Saturday with Ten Hag in desperate need of a win after the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season intensified the scrutiny around the Dutchman’s future.
It emerged this week that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will axe Ferguson’s £2 million-a-year ambassadorial role at the end of the season as part of the latest cost-cutting measures.
Ten Hag said he still expects to be able to lean on Ferguson for advice when needed but admits his side are currently nowhere near the levels showcased under the former manager, who won 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups.
“At the moment we can’t match the standards he set but still we won trophies,” said Ten Hag in reference to his Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs.
“Remember, six years before this club didn’t win trophies so we are coming back, we are returning.
“But it is also obvious that we are not there but it is very important we need all the processes right and that we can construct a team that we can line up the best players to construct the best teams.
“We as a team have to match the standards to win every game and then you get where you have to be. Because those are the expectations Sir Alex set for the club.
“One thing for sure – there’s almost no club in the world where expectations are so high as at Manchester United and that is set from the era of Sir Alex and then the rest of us who come after have to deal with this.
“But that is nice – it is a big challenge. Also, it demands the highest standards in every process and we’re not there in every process.”
The visit of Brentford is the first of seven games over a 22-day period in which results will need to improve drastically after United – who have failed to score in four of their past five league games – managed just eight points from seven matches.
United’s executive committee met on Tuesday last week and have continued to offer their support to Ten Hag but he conceded no one was happy about their present position.
“We are calm but we’re not happy. That is also for sure,” he said. “No one – not the players and staff, not the leadership, not the board is happy with this position.
“But we are calm and know what we’re doing. We know also the reasons why we have to change. We are calm in our strategy and we are convinced that we are getting to where we want to be and we can make the season a success and that is independent to what will happen in the next seven games.”
United supporters have shown real patience with Ten Hag, despite the problems on the pitch, and the manager said he was confident their faith would be repaid.
“They see the problems we have to face at the start of the season and they know also when we stick together and they keep supporting us in the end we’ll repay them and we will repay their trust in us,” he said.
“That’s what we did the last two years. I’m convinced this process will keep going and we will get there together, the players and the fans and the staff.”
Ten Hag admitted the job cuts and changes behind the scenes “have an impact on us” but in the case of Ferguson he still expects him to be a shoulder to lean on when required.
“Sir Alex is Man Utd – he built Man Utd to where the club is now, it impacts us,” Ten Hag said. “But on the other side we know and Sir Alex knows he wants to see a winning Man Utd and I’m sure he’s always available for every advice and we will need him definitely in the short term as we did in the last two and a half years I am here.
“Now and then we have good contact, I would say once [every] half a year I meet formally with him and then of course informally around games I meet him.”
Right-back Noussair Mazraoui has been passed fit for selection after undergoing a minor heart procedure and Ten Hag said midfielder Manuel Ugarte was also available.