Fabrizio Romano provides update on Erik ten Hag's situation at Manchester United following Brighton defeat

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Erik ten Hag's position as Manchester United is safe despite losing at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (September 16).

The Red Devils were outclassed 3-1 by Roberto De Zerbi’s side with Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross, and Joao Pedro getting on the scoresheet for the Seagulls.

The defeat has left United 13th in the Premier League standings, behind the likes of Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Brentford.

The loss against Brighton means that Manchester United have now lost three of their opening five games in the Premier League. This has caused a section of the fanbase to question their manager Erik ten Hag.

Fabrizio Romano, however, has appealed to the fans to remain calm and back their manager. The Italian journalist believes that the Dutch tactician deserves some time to make things right following a good debut season.

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano said:

"The defeat at home to Brighton will obviously have alarm bells ringing with some fans, but my view is that Ten Hag did an excellent job last season because the situation he inherited was complicated."

Romano also believes that Manchester United will improve drastically when their key players return from injury as the season goes on. At the time of writing, the likes of Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Raphael Varane, and Sofyan Amrabat are all nursing injuries on the sidelines.

Fabrizio Romano added:

“Now he needs some time and also to have some players back from injuries because there are many important players not available for different reasons. I’d say: keep calm, let Ten Hag work as he’s an excellent coach. No panic.”

Erik ten Hag replaced interim manager Ralf Rangnick as United's boss at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. The former Ajax manager guided the Red Devils to a third-place finish in the Premier League. He also helped Manchester United secure their first trophy since 2017, winning the Carabao Cup earlier this year.

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Who do Manchester United face next in the Premier League?

Manchester United have a great chance to return to winning ways next weekend when they travel to face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday (September 23).

At the time of writing, Burnley have suffered three consecutive defeats in the league and are still on zero points. They do, however, face Nottingham Forest on Monday night.

Prior to their game against Burnley, Manchester United will travel to Germany to face Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. This will be the first time Erik ten Hag will lead the Red Devils in Europe's elite club competition.

They have been drawn alongside Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen, and Bayern Munich in Group A of the tournament.