United have lost three of their five Premier League matches this season, while off-field issues continue to dominate the agenda ahead of a Champions League trip to Bayern Munich
Ten Hag took Man Utd’s training session on Tuesday
Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold spoke to club staff at an extraordinary meeting on Monday, where the club’s confidence in Erik ten Hag was made clear.
The Telegraph report that Arnold took anonymous questions over a Zoom call, with a tough line of questioning delivered his way during what was described as “a no-holds barred” meeting where the club’s handling of the recent situations around Mason Greenwood and Antony was raised.
While those extremely serious matters did take up much of the line of questioning, the club’s on-pitch performance and summer recruitment was also addressed following three defeats in five Premier League matches which have left United in the bottom half of the table.
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Arnold is said to have reiterated United’s total belief in Ten Hag, who arrived at the club last summer and won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League in his first season at the helm.
Ten Hag admitted that he was feeling the pressure of the United job following the 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday, a first home defeat of the campaign which came after United lost both of their away games so far this season at Tottenham and Arsenal.
Arnold (left) held talks with United staff (
Image:
PA)
“The pressure is always there. It was last year and this year is no different,” Ten Hag said after the Brighton loss..
“Of course, at United, you have to win your games. We have to improve and I can’t be distracted. We have to improve. Individuals have to step up. Sometimes you are in bad periods and you have to face that.”
United flew to Germany on Tuesday ahead of their opening Champions League game of the season at Bayern Munich, with Ten Hag admitting that his side face a tough task against the German champions. “Bayern Munich, I think, is one of the favourites to win the Champions League, so we have to be good there,” he said.
Ten Hag takes his side to Bayern Munich in the Champions League (
Image:
PA)
“But I think I have already explained what we need there - we need character, belief, resilience, determination – absolutely.”
United named a 21-man travelling squad for the trip to Munich, with four of them goalkeepers. Twelve first-team players are missing from the squad for a variety of reasons, with Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Raphael Varane all out injured despite taking part in Tuesday’s training session.
United will come face-to-face with Harry Kane in Munich having been linked with signing him earlier in the summer.
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“I don’t know about the perfect time [to play United] because there can be a big response from teams who are going through a difficult spell but of course we have to use circumstances to our advantage, as well,” Kane said on Tuesday.
“We need to go with big confidence. We are at home in front of our fans. It is important to start the game on the front foot and really try and put the pressure on the opposition. Overall it’s a game we want to try to dominate.”
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