Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is confident he will have a strong relationship with new co-owners Ineos.
Ten Hag has not yet spoken to the key Ineos figures who will be involved at United, led by company chairman and chief executive Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ineos’ purchase of a 25% stake in the club was announced on Christmas Eve.
“We are really looking forward to work together,” Ten Hag said. “Ineos wants to work with me, in this structure and I want to work with them.”
Proposed new club director Sir Dave Brailsford was at Old Trafford on Tuesday to watch United’s 3-2 comeback win against Aston Villa.
But neither he nor Ratcliffe have met Ten Hag since the deal was announced.
The United boss said the packed Christmas programme meant he had no spare time for a chat, but it is coming.
“The schedule is so condensed so I said no, in this moment I don’t want to have distractions but in the coming days and weeks there will be time and then I’ll know more,” he said.
“But I think it’s a good thing. It’s very positive.”
As a result of the winter break, United have only one scheduled Premier League match plus their FA Cup commitments in January, offering plenty of time for Ten Hag to meet the men who will be in charge on a day-to-day basis at Old Trafford once the initial purchase is ratified by the Premier League in six to eight weeks’ time.
Brailsford could not have picked a better introduction to life at United as they came back from two goals down to beat Villa with a sensational second-half performance.
Not that Ten Hag felt the former British Cycling performance director’s presence had any impact.
“We always want to win,” he said. “We are appointed here to win, so in this area, we need a winning culture no matter who is in the lead and no matter who is the owner. But of course, the owners can inspire you.”
