Erik ten Hag admits he will only be sure of Man United backing if they stick with him through ANOTHER rough patch – but insists he is ‘in the same boat’ as new owners Ineos

Erik ten Hag insists he has the backing of his Manchester United bosses – but he will only know for certain when the team hit a rough patch.

Ten Hag kept his job after winning the FA Cup in May and holding summit talks on holiday in Ibiza with officials from co-owners Ineos who had interviewed a number of potential replacements behind his back.

The United manager believes he is now ‘in the same boat’ as United director Sir Dave Brailsford and technical director Jason Wilcox, who have since been joined on the leadership team by chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth.

But Ten Hag knows that support could be put to the test again if United struggle at any point this season.

‘I feel that we are building something and that the people around me, we are in the same boat,’ he said, ‘But, of course, it’s always a proven point when the case is there, but what I hope is that we avoid this.

‘We have good people. With highly competent people, they will contribute to more success and I don’t think negatively. I feel positive and I feel very aligned. They are here, we are building those relationships and, as I said, we have to prove this point during the season and the next coming years, how strong we are.’

‘I want to collaborate. So togetherness, because I know when you are together you achieve more success and I am here to win. But we want to win, so I have to feel this and when I feel this, we will win.’

In a wide-ranging interview at United’s training base on tour in Los Angeles, Ten Hag was asked if he felt comfortable trusting people who were looking at other options even while he was preparing to face Manchester City in the Cup Final at Wembley.

He replied: ‘I’m very comfortable and also at that time I felt very comfortable because I believe in myself. But, of course, it will help if there is very good communication and, of course, it’s helpful when you feel the backing from the leadership group. That helps because then you know where you’re building to, that you do it together.

‘When you are in a very good, very strong bond that gives you confidence, gives you belief. Also the dressing-room, they will feel this, they will feel this strong belief that will build into the dressing-room and they build it into the pitch.’

United ended up keeping the 54-year-old in charge and extending his contract by another 12 months, but Ten Hag insists he was never concerned over his situation.

‘For myself, I don’t need this because I have security enough in my life and in my career,’ he said. ‘I have enough belief that I know when I have a team I will achieve success.

‘It’s important that we are together and that we are working together, and when you work together you are in good moments together but also in bad moments.

When it’s being questioned in the surrounding then of course that will flow into a team, and that is not helpful in achieving success.

‘But I felt always strong because I believe in myself. I believe that even in difficult circumstances that I can manage a team in a strong mentality. I believe that I can manage a team in winning positions but, of course, it will really help when around you there are strong people with great abilities to help you.

‘I was never distracted from the mission. So I came here two years ago and this group of players hadn’t won any trophies for six years.

‘I said we are also on a mission and we are here to win, and we are building, and that we knew it will not come overnight. We have to work very hard and we will have to deal with setbacks during that time.

‘The first season I think was very successful, with two finals. We won one, we lost one – we should have won that one – and we were third (in the Premier League). And we went far in Europe, we played over 60 matches.

‘Then last season, there were a lot of setbacks, that was clear. But by the end we got rewarded, because we kept believing and we won an amazing trophy and so we have a foundation.

‘So many people advised negatively when I started in this club. I could have gone into projects with much better conditions, with much better structures but I chose this: Man United. I feel this is my club. And I want to go for this challenge although I knew this is very tough.

‘But you only know when you are in, and there are some challenges here. But already, we overcame many obstacles and we have to beat even more but, and I said it also in the spring, I feel we are in the right direction. And even in the summer I think many positives happened that we can accelerate this process.’

Sir Alex Ferguson famously saved his job by winning the FA Cup in 1990 and went on to enjoy a period of unprecedented success at United, but Ten Hag isn’t getting carried away by sentiment. ‘I don’t dream,’ he said. ‘We have to live today and build a future, but don’t look too far ahead. We have that foundation and I think we are in the right direction.

‘But we have to do better. We have to make improvements because many clubs around us also improve and they have also the financial conditions to build very good teams and clubs. So, in history, probably it was a two-horse race. Now we’re talking about seven or eight clubs capable of developing very strong teams.’

Ten Hag was asked about the decision to bring Jadon Sancho back into the fold after the two men had a public fall-out last season, which ended with Sancho returning to Borussia Dortmund on loan.

‘We left this behind us and we said everything about this,’ said the United boss. ‘We know from each other what the standards are and how we want to work, how we want to collaborate, and we need a good team.

‘We just spoke about the standards, the levels, the abilities. When I took over you need good players to construct a good team and he’s definitely a very good player.’

So did Sancho give Ten Hag the apology he demanded? ‘I think we said everything about it so we left it behind us and I think in our statement it says everything and it was clear and obvious.’

Ten Hag was also quizzed on Marcus Rashford who was censured twice by his manager last season for going out nightclubbing, and said he believes the England international can rediscover his top form.

‘Of course, but he has to prove this point,’ said Ten Hag. ‘We will set the conditions and he is very capable of doing this. The season before he scored 30 goals, so when he is in the right vibe, then he has such a high potential. And when he is really in that mood, then our game model will provide him the conditions to score again 30 or even more goals.

‘He should fight for it, but we are not robots. We are dealing with human beings. And everyone, you are not always on your best.

‘He is capable of being that impactful player. If he is doing it, then for our team he’s such an important player because goals obviously make a difference. I expect him to be that player in this season.’

On the wider issue of any indiscipline within his squad, Ten Hag added: ‘I think when you want to play in top football nowadays, you need discipline on and off the pitch. It was always important, but it gets more and more important now because it’s the survival of the fittest.

‘You are not a robot, you are not a machine. No-one is. You can only deliver the levels of performance when you do the things right. When you don’t do the things right on and off the pitch, then you can’t perform.’

Ten Hag dismissed suggestions that a long-term injury to new £59million defender Leny Yoro and a six-week lay-off for striker Rasmus Hojlund could affect the rest of his transfer plans this summer in terms of players coming in or going out.

United have already signed Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee for £36.5m and registered their interest in Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt and Everton’s Branthwaite.

‘No, this will not change anything,’ he said. ‘We have a plan and we stick to the plan.’