Ratcliffe plans to stand by Ten Hag as he starts Manchester United deep dive

Erik ten Hag is secure at Manchester United for the foreseeable future unless he oversees a run of particularly dire results, because the immediate priority for Jim Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford is to get to the bottom of what is required to turn the club around.

Ratcliffe and Brailsford are first intent on analysing the makeup of the playing squad, executive and staff, the club’s structure and how revenue is invested in the team to understand the best way to achieve their ambition of making United domestic and continental challengers again.

Only at the end of the process will any decision be made on Ten Hag’s future, unless the team endure a sequence of alarming results and displays.

The manager is enduring a difficult campaign, hampered by serial injuries and illness, a disciplinary issue regarding Jadon Sancho and Antony’s personal problems. United have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and Europe and are eighth in the Premier League, nine points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

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Ratcliffe and Brailsford held their first face-to-face meetings with Ten Hag and other staff this week since the Ineos billionaire’s purchase of a 25% stake in United became official on Christmas Eve. Brailsford, the Ineos director of sport, has a place on the club board and is operating as the businessman’s go-to executive at United.

Ten Hag said his talks with Ratcliffe and Brailsford were “very positive” and that “on many issues we were on the same page”.