Erik ten Hag has insisted he hopes Sir Alex Ferguson will remain an active part of life at Manchester United despite the termination of his ambassadorial contract.
Since his retirement in 2013, Ferguson had been receiving an annual salary of £2.16m for his role as an ambassador for the club, but INEOS and new majority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently terminated that agreement in order to cut costs.
The decision has been the subject of much criticism, especially from some of Ferguson’s former playersbut Ten Hag still hopes to turn to the legendary Scotsman for advice,
“Of course it has an impact on us,” Ten Hag said of the layoffs of about 250 non-playing staff members. “Sir Alex, of course, yes Man Utdhe built United where the club is now, and it affects us.
“But on the other hand, we know that and Sir Alex knows that, that’s what he wants. He wants to see a winning Manchester United and I’m sure he’s always available for all the boards and we’ll definitely need him in the short term . -termester, as we have done for the last two and a half years, I am here.”
Ten Hag confessed that United are struggling to match the standards set by Ferguson during his time in charge.
“At the moment, we can’t match the standards he set, but we still won trophies,” stressed Ten Hag. “Remember, six years ago, this club didn’t win trophies, so we’re coming back, we’re coming back, but obviously we’re not there, but what’s really important is that we need all the right processes and that we can build a team that we can align the best players
“I don’t think how many years you need, I want to win every game and I want every season to be a success, with trophies and titles.
“I think about that and how I have to win every game and we as a team have to match the standards to win every game and then you get to where you need to be. Those are the expectations that Sir Alex set . for this club.
“One thing is for sure, there is hardly any club in the world where the expectations are as high as Man Utd and that has been set since the Sir Alex era and the rest of us have to deal with it.
“But it’s good, that’s why you want to be here. It’s a big challenge, but it also demands the highest standards in every process, and obviously we’re not there in every process. We haven’t, so far, come up to challenge for Premier League titles or Champions League titles, but that’s the ambition, of course, and that’s what’s expected, but we’ve still managed to win some trophies.”
