Erik ten Hag remains the right man to lead Manchester United forward, the club’s chief executive Omar Berrada has said (Nick Potts/PA)

Manchester United's Chief Executive Officer, Omar Berrada, has expressed unwavering support for manager Erik ten Hag, despite the team's challenging start to the Premier League season. 

Last season, United finished eighth, marking their lowest position since 1990, although Ten Hag did guide the team to an unexpected FA Cup victory over Manchester City. 

In July, he received a one-year contract extension, albeit after the club explored other options. Following a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool, which was their second loss in three matches this season and left them in 14th place, Ten Hag faces renewed scrutiny. 

However, Berrada, speaking alongside new sporting director Dan Ashworth just before the match against Liverpool, emphasized that the club's confidence in their manager remains strong, regardless of a few unfavorable results.

“Do we still believe in Erik? Absolutely,” he said. “We think Erik is the right coach for us and we’re fully backing him.”

Ten Hag’s employment contract was extended prior to either Mr. Berrada or Mr. Ashworth assuming their respective positions. However, both individuals expressed their contentment with the decision.

Ashworth said: “I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks.

“I see my job is to support him in every way I possibly can and whether that’s operationally, whether that’s with recruitment, whether that’s with medical, whether that’s with psychology, whether that’s training ground flow, it’s just to take as much of that off him to allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and the match tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United.”

In the initial weeks of Ashworth's tenure, the focus was primarily on the transfer window, during which United acquired Matthijs De Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, and Noussair Mazraoui. 

Equally significant were the exits of players such as Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho. Following a disagreement with Ten Hag early in the previous season, Sancho returned to his former club, Borussia Dortmund, on loan in January. 

Although it seemed that the two had reconciled, as Sancho participated in United's pre-season and played in the Community Shield, he ultimately joined Chelsea on loan with a future purchase obligation on deadline day. 

When asked about the shift, Ashworth attributed it to the player's desire to seek a new opportunity.

“We felt we had enough depth in that particular position to be able to cover it, we’ve got four really good wide players — Jadon was a fifth — and it just enabled us to make that decision that if it was good for him and good for us it was something we were willing to consider,” he said.

“He wanted to explore the opportunity at Chelsea, like Scott wanted to explore the opportunity at Napoli, like Aaron (Wan-Bissaka) wanted to explore the opportunity at West Ham. We’re not in a position where we’re kicking players out of the club.”