FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Liverpool - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - September 1, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts REUTERS/Molly Darlington/File Photo
(Reuters) - Manchester United Chief Executive Omar Berrada says manager Erik ten Hag has the full backing of the club and is optimistic that the pieces are being put in place for the long-term success of the team domestically and in Europe.
United finished eighth in the Premier League last season and Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Liverpool made it two losses from three games in the current campaign, leaving them in 14th spot.
"Erik has our full backing. We think he is the right coach for us," Berrada told reporters ahead of the Liverpool match in comments published on Monday.
"We have worked very closely together in this transfer window and we are going to continue working very closely with him to help get the best results out of the team."
The last of United's 20 English top-flight titles came in the 2012-13 season in Alex Ferguson's final campaign in charge and while winning the Premier League is the main target Berrada said there had to be a long-term view.
"We don't want to just win one Premier League and be satisfied," he added. "We want to create a team that is capable of competing for the Champions League, for the Premier League and for the domestic cups on a consistent basis."
After a positive summer in the transfer market and with fresh faces in the boardroom, Berrada said there was a feeling things were moving in the right direction at the club.
"I can sense it, and I can also speak for myself, which is I'm very excited and very optimistic at what we have in front of us," he said.
"I think we're starting to put the right pieces in place and I'm absolutely convinced that we're going to be successful."
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
