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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has opened up on how technical director Jason Wilcox and new sporting director Jason Wilcox will help steer the club into a new era of success and prosperity on the pitch.
United confirmed the appointment of Wilcox in April from Southampton.
Ashworth’s signing on the other hand was officially relayed to supporters last week after months of haggling and bargaining with Newcastle over the terms of his release. It was stated that United finally forked out a £10m compensation fee to pry the 53-year-old transfer and recruitment expert from the Magpies’ hands.
Since Ashworth arrived at Old Trafford, United seem to have significantly stepped up their transfer activities. It’s believed that bids have already been submitted for top targets like Leny Yoro and Jarrad Branthwaite.
United are also pursuing Dutch duo Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt. Already, there is some evidence that Ashworth and his team are making a difference at the club as they seek to hit the ground running.
During an interview with club media, Ten Hag was asked about the new owners and the appointments they’ve made such as Ashworth and Wilcox.
The United boss was also quizzed about his recent contract extension that’s set to keep him at the club at least until 2026.
When put to the task about whether he’s excited about the extension, Ten Hag replied, “Very, otherwise I wouldn’t have extended my contract. I’m here for two years and I said I came here to win titles, trophies…so we won two trophies after a drought of six years. We are in a good direction and now with the new ownership coming in, they can help us.”
“They are very supportive and when we made this as our process…we are in a very good position and in a very strong position to go and attack.”
Ten Hag was asked how good it feels to see that the likes of Wilcox and Ashworth have already started work at the club.
The United boss replied, “We are so pleased that around the football and the first team, we now have a strong structure that will help us.”
He added, “They’re really supportive and they’ll help us in many ways like scouting, recruitment and in other departments like medical and performance…their support will help raise the bar.”
Last month, it emerged that United were set to begin work on an ambitious £50m project to revamp their Carrington training complex.
It was revealed that the men’s first-team facilities at Carrington would be completely refurbished to create a “world-class football facility.”
For the duration of the 2024/25 campaign, Ten Hag’s stars will be making use of the women’s building while their facilities are being revamped. Marc Skinner’s side were poised to be moved into portable buildings but the club are contemplating acquiring St George’s Park for the women’s team as a temporary training base.
In his interview, Ten Hag was asked what’s the plan to ensure the men’s first team can still train and adequately prepare for games while construction work remains ongoing around them.
The former Ajax gaffer responded, “In football the next game is always the most important game and so the next season is always the most important season.”
“We have to look forward to something…what’s being constructed there. It will be the best training ground in English football. But the most important thing is now. We live today and they did a great job, to make this work and make this facility look professional
“Four weeks ago it was chaotic but now it’s set up so professionally. We have a compact training ground and we have everything nearby in good condition, good standards and there’s no way to not be positive about it. It’s really exciting and you can feel the vibe already in this new facility, this new building …it’s our house and now we have to work and we’re looking forward to it.”
United will return to action in six days when they play their first pre-season match, away to Rosenborg (Monday 15 July, 17:00 BST).
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