MY ACCOUNT
Erik ten Hag and his Manchester United players have no time to worry about the talk around a potential takeover at Old Trafford, the manager says.
A ‘soft’ deadline for bids for United passed this week, before which Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS and a Qatari group fronted by banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Al Thani made offers.
An end to the Glazer family’s largely unpopular ownership of the club appears to be in sight, but United first have plenty to focus on the pitch.
Ahead of Sunday’s match against Leicester City, Ten Hag’s side are third in the Premier League going into a huge week that includes a Europa League second leg against Barcelona and the EFL Cup final against Newcastle United.
For that reason, takeover talk is of little concern.
“There’s movement around the club, but it’s not up to me,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports.
“The owners of the club are taking this stuff – I have to manage the team, make sure the team is performing and we get the right results in.
“Every third day we have a game, so I don’t have time to get involved in stuff like this.”
He added: “It’s not distracting us. We’re focusing on football. We’re focusing on our games, preparing and training. That is our job to do. It doesn’t distract us. So far, so good.”
While United have a relentless schedule, Wembley opponents Newcastle have a clear week ahead of a long-awaited final appearance.
But Ten Hag said: “It’s a big advantage for us, I would say. We are used to playing big games. That will be a huge advantage for us.”
Sure to be key to United’s hopes against both Barca and Newcastle is Marcus Rashford, who has scored a remarkable 14 goals since returning from the World Cup in December.
The England forward is out of contract at United at the end of next season, and his future will have to be a top priority for any new owner.
“Of course it’s a priority,” Ten Hag said. “We will work on that. Sit, wait, but in the background, we’re working hard.”
