Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has issued a public apology to the club’s supporters.
The British billionaire bought a 28.94 per cent stake in United from the Glazers one year ago.
He took complete control over football operations but has made a few unpopular calls in his brief spell.
In a blockbuster interview with BBC Sport, Ratcliffe candidly admitted that his management team has made two crucial missteps since arriving at Old Trafford.
He said: “We are not perfect, and we are on a journey, and there have been a couple of errors along the way, but I think in the main the things we are doing are the right things for the club.
“I agree the Erik ten Tag and Dan Ashworth decisions were errors.
“I think there were some mitigating circumstances, but ultimately they were errors. I accept that and I apologise for that.
“If you look at the time we made the decision about Erik, the management team hadn’t been in place more than five minutes.”
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United fans were divided over the decision to stick with Ten Hag following their memorable FA Cup triumph against Manchester City last season.
A large section of the supporters were eager to see how the Dutchman would perform under a more stable management structure.
However, he fell short of expectations and left the squad in a poorer state than the one he inherited from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The previous regime made many errors, but overspending on players was the most glaring.
Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony are just a few names on that list. Several players were retained on massive wages, further straining the club’s finances.
The Red Devils must be more strategic with their spending over the next few transfer windows.
Ashworth was hired as sporting director by Ratcliffe but was quickly axed. His sudden departure came as a major surprise, especially after the club had pursued him for months.
Ratcliffe and his team must make the right decisions and stand by them, even if things temporarily go wrong.
