Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear to his colleagues that he wants to see Erik ten Hag relieved of his managerial duties, according to TEAMtalk.

The Red Devils have had a dismal start to the season and currently sit 14th in the Premier League table and huge pressure is mounting on the Dutchman.

Many stories regarding Ten Hag’s future are doing the rounds and with the club’s executive committee meeting in London on Tuesday, TEAMtalk can give an exclusive insight into the thought process of the Manchester United hierarchy.

And we understand that Ratcliffe has made it clear that he wants change to happen and sources say that potential replacements for Ten Hag are already being assessed.

The British billionaire was ready to replace Ten Hag before the start of the season but ultimately handed him a one-year contract extension after they were unable to agree a deal with a suitable replacement.

Just like in the summer, Ratcliffe is willing to wait to find the right man to replace Ten Hag and has handed control of the situation over to Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada. They are looking at all options with two names coming up as the favourites so far.

Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter are the two candidates being closely looked at by Man Utd and talks with the duo are expected in the near future.

Tuchel spoke with Man Utd over the summer but didn’t feel the timing was right for him to take the job. However, the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss is open to another conversation and feels ready to return to management.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has also been discussed behind the scenes at Man Utd. However, the cost and difficult;y of getting him out of his contract at St James’ Park is seen as a stumbling block.

Just five weeks ago, Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada publicly backed manager Erik ten Hag.

Throwing his weight behind the embattled Dutchman, he declared: “Erik has our full backing. We’re going to continue working very closely with him to help him get the best results.”

Those words were echoed by sporting director Dan Ashworth, who linked up with United this past summer, following his controversial exit from Newcastle United.

“I see my job is to support him [Ten Hag] in every way I possibly can,” Ashworth chimed in. “To allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and the tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United.”

However, both those statements will be tested on Tuesday when United’s top brass, which includes Berrada, Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, meet to discuss Ten Hag’s future, alongside Joel Glazer, part of the majority ownership group, reports the Mirror.

Not long after Berrada and Ashworth’s public support of Ten Hag, United were thrashed 3-0 by arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford prior to the September international break. And since that humiliation, life at Old Trafford has been testing for Ten Hag and United, with a battering by Tottenham by the same scoreline following in their next home league game.

United currently sit 14th in the Premier League table having picked up eight points from seven games which is their worst ever start to a domestic campaign. To make matters worse for Ten Hag, their 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday last weekend actually saw United out do their previous worst start, which was just last season.

They have only managed to net five goals from seven games their lowest tally in 52 years and have drawn a blank in their last three league matches. They’ve played 11 matches this season, with victories only against Fulham, Southampton and Barnsley. While today’s meeting in Mayfair is a regular monthly event, one topic will dominate the discussion whether to stick with Ten Hag or not.

Following Sunday’s draw to Aston Villa, Ten Hag reiterated his belief that he and the United board share the same long-term vision and agreed when they started working together in the summer that there would be no immediate solution to the team’s issues.

But given the worrying decline this season, he has genuine reason to worry and will find out in the next 48 hours whether he still has the backing of his superiors, once they decide if they need a fresh voice and vision in the dressing room. If Ratcliffe’s recent public comments on Ten Hag are any indication of what the United board are thinking, then the 54-year-old may have to start looking for a new job.

Source: DailyStar

Manchester City have claimed a partial victory in a legal fight with the Premier League over commercial rules governing clubs, including two large sponsorship deals the club was blocked from completing.

An independent panel found the Premier League’s rules regarding commercial deals between clubs and related parties break competition law in two specific ways.

City made the legal challenge against 25 of the regulations in the Premier League’s rulebook regarding Associated Party Transactions (APTs), as well as its decision to reject the two sponsorship deals.

Manchester City have claimed a partial victory in a legal fight with the Premier League over commercial rules governing clubs, including two large sponsorship deals the club was blocked from completing.

An independent panel found the Premier League’s rules regarding commercial deals between clubs and related parties break competition law in two specific ways.

City made the legal challenge against 25 of the regulations in the Premier League’s rulebook regarding Associated Party Transactions (APTs), as well as its decision to reject the two sponsorship deals.

The panel found partly in Manchester City’s favour, agreeing that shareholder loans – where shareholders or ‘associated parties’ lend to or borrow money from the clubs they own – should not be excluded from those rules.

City stated those loans total some £1.5bn across the division, including all of Arsenal and most of Brighton’s borrowing.

The panel also agreed with City’s claim an updated version of the APT rules, which came into force in February this year, were unlawful because of wording changes, which tightened the interpretation of what constitutes ‘fair market value’ in commercial agreements, was unlawful.

The two sponsorship deals, with First Abu Dhabi Bank and another with Etihad Aviation Group, were blocked unfairly, the panel found, as the Premier League did not give City all of the information used for its decisions in time for them to respond.

They also found the Premier League, which itself admitted was understaffed at the time, took several months too long to reach its decision in both cases.

City’s other claims against the Premier League were dismissed.

The Premier League has said it welcomes the tribunal’s findings, “which endorsed the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system … (but did) identify a small number of discrete elements of the rules which do not, in their current form, comply with competition and public law requirements”.

“These elements can quickly and effectively be remedied by the League and clubs,” the Premier League added.

City thanked the panel and said the findings found the Premier League to have “abused its dominant position” with its approach and rules.