UNDER-PRESSURE Erik ten Hag admits he will miss the support of John Murtough after losing his Director of Football this week.

Murtough has left after nearly 11 years at Manchester United as part of new part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s sweeping changes.

That follows the departure of Chief Executive Richard Arnold and it was those two who were behind the appointment of Ten Hag after flying to Amsterdam to interview him.

Now Dan Ashworth is coming in from Newcastle to take on Murtough’s role with Jason Wilcox arriving from Southampton as Technical Director.

Ten Hag said: “I think it’s very important that the new ownership is working on this, to replace his function, to go into a new season.

“For the moment, of course, I miss his support, the surround support, you miss that. He has moved on, we worked very good together, I say thank you to John and wish him all the best for the future.”

Ten Hag insists he still has a good working relationship with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir David Brailsford who are now overseeing the football side of the club.

He said: “I work with the new ownership very good, closely together, it doesn’t change the way I work here.

“It’s perfect, still perfect, I am happy with that but we want to set the right conditions to be successful.”

Ten Hag goes into tomorrow’s 5.30pm kick at Bournemouth on a run of only one win in six in the league.

That has all but paid to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

The sixth placed Red Devils stand 11 points behind Tottenham in fourth with just seven league games to go.

Bournemouth will be no easy fixture either as they found out in December losing 3-0 at home.

That came just three days after having beaten Chelsea 2-1 away and Ten Hag curiously claimed ahead of the game that they were not ‘mentally strong enough’ to handle those two games in such a short space of time.

He said: “It was after a very good performance against Chelsea in the week and we were mentally not ready for that game.

“They battled us and we lost the battles, this game will not be different, that is the way they want to play, they want to fight with you.

“You have to go into that fight, have the conviction and need to support each other to win battles, outplay them, out run them.”

Ten Hag expects Marcus Rashford to be fit after he hobbled out of United’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool last weekend.