Ratcliffe has admitted not sacking Ten Hag sooner was a mistake
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has admitted Manchester United should have sacked former boss Erik ten Hag in the summer - rather than keep him on.
Hapless Ratcliffe and his United cronies looked at potential successors to Ten Hag before triggering a year’s extension as part of his deal - only to sack him two months into the new season at a cost of £10.4million.
United also pursued Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth for several months, the. sacked him less than six months into his role, with further compensation of £3m paid out following the decision to jettison him.
Ratcliffe, who has become a reviled figure since taking over at United a year ago, admitted both had been costly mistakes.
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“We are not perfect, and we are on a journey, and there have been a couple of errors along the way, but I think in the main all the things we are doing are the right things for the club," said Ratcliffe.
One of those errors was the hiring of sporting director Dan Ashworth - who then left the role after just five months.
"I agree the Erik ten Tag and Dan Ashworth decisions were errors. I think there were some mitigating circumstances, but ultimately they were errors. I accept that and I apologise for that.
"If you look at the time we made the decision about Erik the management team hadn't been in place more than five minutes," he explained, adding that it was difficult to judge the Dutchman's performance under the previous regime.
Erik ten Hag
Ten Hag was sacked earlier this season having been given a vote of confidence last summer
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Image:
PA)
"It became clearer three months later and we got it wrong, but we'd moved on. I think we corrected it and we are in a very different place today," he added.
United, currently 14th in the league, have made it their goal to win the title by 2028 - the club's 150th anniversary.
"I don't think it's mission impossible. I think it's good to have goals and objectives,” Ratcliffe said, keeping a straight face.
"If you look at Arsenal, if you look at Liverpool, if you look at the period of time it took them to get the house in order and get back to winning ways, that's probably slightly on the short end of the spectrum. But it's not impossible."
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