We know we need to do better – Erik ten Hag still focused amid ‘external noise’

Erik ten Hag does not get any sense from the Manchester United hierarchy that his position is in jeopardy and says the noise around his job heading into the international break is “external”.

The 54-year-old is under the microscope and took his stuttering Red Devils to Aston Villa on Sunday after a difficult start to the season continued with a 3-0 home loss at Tottenham and 3-3 draw in Porto.

United fought for a 0-0 draw against Unai Emery’s in-form side at Villa Park, where Sir Jim Ratcliffe was among those in attendance just days after sidestepping the opportunity to publicly back Ten Hag.

The co-owner was joined by key members of the leadership team for a stalemate that means they have eight points from their opening seven league matches – their lowest tally at this stage since collecting seven in 1989-90.

The PA news agency understands United’s executive committee is set to meet for a pre-planned monthly meeting on Tuesday and Ten Hag believes everyone at the club is “on the same page”.

Pushed on them being in the bottom of half following United’s worst start to a Premier League season after seven games, Ten Hag said: “I think you said it very good – it is external noise.

“Internal we are disappointed and we know we need to do better, especially we need to score more because in this moment after this block of games that’s the area we’re really short.

“All the other areas I think we are doing really well. We have four clean sheets so that says a lot about the defending and the organisation.

“Also now the defending of defensive transitions we are doing really well, so we are really improving on that point.

“I think today we should have created more, but that area in the box of the opponent we have to be more ruthless, more clinical, more killing and we have to work on this.”

Asked if feels the ownership were solidly behind him, Ten Hag added: “So, I don’t have any idea that it’s different because they should have told me. We communicate very open, very transparent.”

Ten Hag was pleased by the clean sheet at Villa Park, where Harry Maguire left in a protective boot having been hurt just before half-time.

The United defender was surprisingly omitted from an England squad that Ezri Konsa looks set to withdraw from with a muscle injury sustained early in Sunday’s match.

Emery was unable to offer an in-depth assessment on the problem but was more forthcoming about the draw that followed Wednesday’s memorable Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

“I think the result for both teams is fair,” the Villa manager said. “Maybe the first half they control the match better.

“We didn’t concede a lot of chances to score, but more or less with their position on the field they were controlling better than we did.

“The second half we were pushing in different ways how we could get better and we did.

“The most important chance we created was the last one with Jaden (Philogene), and when a match is so tight match maybe it was the difference in some moment like we had.

“But, of course, we have to say it is fair for both teams and overall we can think how we finish this month, more or less, in our target.

“We’re in the top five, and in Europe been challenging very well the first two matches we played, and in the Carabao Cup facing Crystal Palace.”