'At certain times' - Steve McClaren's admission on Man United standards during Erik ten Hag era

Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren says club standards have at times dropped under Erik ten Hag but is confident Ineos will restore them to higher levels.

McClaren arrived back at United as Erik ten Hag’s No.2 in 2022, having previously worked under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. Ten Hag won United's first trophy for six seasons during last year’s League Cup triumph but is facing an uncertain future.

A lacklustre season saw United knocked out of the League Cup and Champions League before Christmas with the club now fighting for a top six Premier League finish. They have reached the FA Cup final but are considered major underdogs against bitter rivals Manchester City.

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The embarrassing semi-final penalty win over Coventry City and Monday’s 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace have heaped further pressure on Ten Hag. McClaren’s job will naturally be on the line too as a result, with any new manager likely to bring in their own backroom staff.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will make a decision on Ten Hag’s future soon, having refused to publicly assess the Dutchman’s tenure. MEN Sport understands that Ratcliffe is not yet convinced Ten Hag is the manager for his long-term project.

Nevertheless, McClaren has been impressed with what he has seen from Ratcliffe and Ineos, who have overseen an influx of new board members including incoming CEO Omar Berrada and new technical director Jason Wilcox.

Former England boss McClaren says that the trajectory of their work looks promising and believes they can help United raise their levels, after periods of malaise under Ten Hag. He told BBC Sport: "Arsenal are back after being down and Man United will do the same.

"We have had many storms. I see tremendous plusses from Ineos coming in and what they are trying to do. It is identifying the standards and getting back to them.

"At certain times since I have come back over the last two years, we have had those standards. We have also had standards that have not been Manchester United.

"Speaking to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, speaking to Sir Dave Brailsford, they are getting the best people in. They want this to succeed. They have done that in their other sports and businesses. I am positive they will do it again with Manchester United."

The comments echo those of Ten Hag in March. He conceded that performances had stooped but gave an appraisal of Ratcliffe and his team’s input.

Ten Hag said at the time: "The club has fallen down in the standards, but now we are back. I have already seen some examples of how (Ineos) can support us to really set that right standard.

"We know when performances are not right we have to look in the mirror, tell each other the truth and get things right. There are always many fans away and home standing behind us, but it starts with us; we have to put energy into the stands and then it comes back."

Last summer the United boss claimed standards when he arrived at the club were not good enough.

"So I think in general when I came in at Man United, the standards were not right," Ten Hag said. "That’s true. I demand the highest standards in sleep, recovery and nutrition because that makes the difference if you can perform every third or fourth day.

"That is the demand for every top football player, so at Man United we are demanding the highest standards. It was about recovery, sleep and nutrition. And we had to improve."