Ange Postecoglou sends message to Man Utd Erik ten Hag | Football

A sloppy midweek draw in the Europa League reignited the pressure on Ten Hag, who has now seen his United side win just three of their opening seven games to start the season.

Spurs, meanwhile, faced some early criticism after just one win in their first four games but Posteoglou’s side have bounced back with three wins on the spin since then.

As the two sides prepare to clash on Sunday, an empathetic Postecoglou was keen to give Ten Hag his flowers for his impressive trophy haul in amongst the pressure-cooker environment of Old Trafford.

‘I think Erik’s in a really tough job and he’s done really well,’ he told reporters on Friday.

‘He keeps mentioning he’s won two trophies and that’s not insignificant, everyone keeps telling me that’s all I have to do, but it’s not all you have to do, because when you do that there’s always more. He’s done a great job, a difficult job.’

The Spurs boss continued: ‘I don’t know who coined the phrase “the impossible job”, but I think it’s become even more impossible now.

‘It seems like success is not enough if it doesn’t have identity, [and] identity is not enough unless it’s followed by aesthetics. Aesthetics are not enough unless they’re followed by legacy.

‘There’s always another layer. It seems like no one is doing a good job unless you win the competition at the end of the year.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any sort of understanding of progress or the circumstances that people have to work under at times.

‘But it’s just the nature of the role. I don’t think that’s going to change. I guess it’s about how you respond to it, how you react to it, how you let it affect you.

‘The more experience you have maybe the better you deal with these things.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.