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• Under-pressure Ten Hag claims Ratcliffe wants him to stay at Man Utd

  Erik ten Hag has claimed Manchester United's new part-owner Jim Ratcliffe has told him he wants the Dutchman to stay at Old Trafford.

  Reports on Friday suggested Ratcliffe, who now runs the footballing operations at United following INEOS' 27.7 per cent purchase of the club, had decided to sack Ten Hag regardless of the result of Saturday's FA Cup final, with the Red Devils taking on Manchester City.

  United finished eighth, their worst-ever Premier League finish, this season, with Ten Hag under increasing scrutiny.

  However, while hitting out at his critics in an interview with Dutch publication Voetbal International, Ten Hag claimed to have the backing of INEOS.

  "INEOS told me that they want to change everything and that they want to rebuild with me," he said.

  "This is what they told me directly."

  Former Ajax boss Ten Hag also defended his tenure at United so far.

  "United won the league for the last time in 2013, 11 years ago. But still they expect us to win every game while competing at the top. This club is not ready for that," he said.

  "We were supposed to start building something and we made the first steps last year, but then you find out how big this club is and that nobody is ever satisfied.

  "Within the club people were satisfied, but outside the club there was noise, [people] saying I won only the EFL Cup, lost the FA Cup final and finished third.

  "Well, then you have no sense of reality. Other clubs had a much better squad."

  Ten Hag also suggested that some pundits in England see United as "easy pray".

  He added: "It's the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between.

  "So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words. All this negativity from these so-called experts who don't have the capability to analyse something with facts, but who prefer to attack people to make themselves look better.

  "And these same people were the ones who gave me a pat on the back last year. Last year I was able to walk on water, this year I am the worst manager in the Premier League?"

• Onana decided to 'stand up and fight' after Man Utd criticism

  Andre Onana says he decided to "stand up and fight" after a tough start to life at Manchester United.

  The Red Devils are preparing to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final for a second consecutive season on Saturday after a poor campaign saw them finish in their lowest-ever league position in the Premier League.

  Certain players were singled out throughout the season due to their performances, with Onana coming under fire for a string of errors early on after taking over from David de Gea when he joined from Inter last July.

  However, the goalkeeper was adamant he did not let the criticism get to him.

  "I arrived as the best goalkeeper in the world and 'boom' it went down. It was like 'What happened?'," he said.

  "But that is how difficult football is sometimes. It depends if you want to stay down there or stand up and fight. I know what I did to arrive here. I know who I am. I decided to stand up and fight."

  Onana compared his experience to that of team-mate Marcus Rashford, who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 after scoring just eight goals this season.

  "We are talking about the same player [Rashford]. So now he's a bad player? No. You can have a bad season or a bad start, but the most important thing is how you end," he added.

  "Rashy, for me, is one of the best players in the world. But he is facing difficulty. It's not only him and me, but the whole club.

  "But he will come back. I know my killer will score some important goals for us. Hopefully, against City, he will score two, and we win the FA Cup."

  There is also a lot of speculation around the club concerning the future of Erik ten Hag, with reports suggesting he could be relieved of his position no matter the result in Saturday’s final.

  Onana, however, has thrown his support behind his manager, who he also worked with at Ajax for five years.

  The Cameroon international said: "I'm not here to back him because he's big enough to back himself, but he's a really good guy, a positive coach and, tactically, he is good.

  "If he had all his squad together, it would probably be different for him, for us, the club and the fans."

• Girona 7-0 Granada: Dovbyk hat-trick sees hosts end fairytale LaLiga season in style

  Artem Dovbyk netted a hat-trick as surprise package Girona claimed the biggest win in the club's history with a 7-0 thrashing of already-relegated Granada on Friday. 

  Defender Eric Garcia opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, pouncing on the visitors' sloppy defending to head home from close range before Viktor Tsygankov doubled the advantage with a tap-in three minutes later.

  Dovbyk made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 44th minute after a foul on Portu, while Tsygankov scored his second with a simple finish nine minutes into the second half.

  Granada were dealt a further blow when they were reduced to 10 men in the 61st minute thanks to Facundo Pellistri's second yellow card before Dovbyk scored again in the 75th. Minutes later, substitute Cristhian Stuani got on the scoresheet with a close-range strike.

  The Ukrainian then completed his hat-trick with a 90th-minute penalty to reach 24 league goals this season, ahead of Villarreal's Alexander Sorloth in the battle for the league's top goalscorer.

  Data Debrief: Girona go out on a high

  Dovbyk scored 24 goals in LaLiga this season, becoming Girona's top scorer in a single season in the competition, surpassing Cristhian Stuani's 21 goals in 2017-18.

  Savinho was also a bright spark for the hosts in this game, winning the final penalty to set up Dovbyk's penalty. His assist for Tsyhankov's goal was his 10th of the season - the most registered for Girona this campaign.