Man Utd owners to hold crisis meeting after the game vs Villa

So, Manchester United’s board is gearing up for a big meeting in London just 48 hours after Erik ten Hag’s must-win clash against Aston Villa. After a nail-biting 3-3 draw with Porto in the Champions League and the pressure piling on Ten Hag, this match against Unai Emery’s squad could be the ultimate test for the beleaguered manager as the club’s bigwigs weigh up his future.

According to The Athletic, a meeting with the club’s executive committee is already on the cards, featuring key players like co-chairman Joel Glazer, who’s jetting in from the US, and the newly minted 27.7% owner Jim Ratcliffe, who splashed out £1.3 billion for his stake earlier this year. They’ll be joined by Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox, Sir Dave Brailsford, and other senior officials, including Roger Bell and Collette Roche. This meeting is part of a wider internal review, and while it’s a bit murky whether Ten Hag’s position is on the agenda, the timing has certainly raised eyebrows.

Ratcliffe, who’s expected to be at Villa Park for the match, hasn’t exactly thrown his weight behind Ten Hag, saying earlier this week that the decision on the manager’s future is “not my call.” The billionaire told BBC Sport, “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach, but at the end of the day, it’s the management team that have to decide how we best run the team.” He’s keen to see Manchester United back to its glory days but admits the club has a long way to go.