TEN HAG TO STAY AS MAN UNITED MANAGER

Erik ten Hag will STAY as Manchester United manager after senior Old Trafford figures including Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally made a decision on his future.

United contemplating sacking Ten Hag despite last month’s surprise FA Cup final win against bitter rivals Manchester City, but they’ve now decided to stick with him ahead of the 2024-25 season. It was reported on Monday that Ratcliffe had even met former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel in Monaco over the weekend to gauge his interest in talking the job.

The lack of clarity on Ten Hag’s future led to major uncertainty at Old Trafford over the past fortnight, with co-owner Ratcliffe and director Sir Dave Brailsford carrying out a lengthy end-of-season review after United slumped to their worst-ever Premier League finish, eighth place – also their worst in the top flight since 1990.

That review culminated in the decision to keep Ten Hag, the Athletic report, and the Red Devils boss has agreed to remain in his post, despite being made to wait so long for a decision amid claims that he’d been undermined. 

Ratcliffe – who took over football operations at United in February through the sporting division of his petrochemicals company, INEOS – will now discuss extending Ten Hag’s contract beyond its current expiry date in June 2025.

Alongside Tuchel, England manager Gareth Southgate, ex-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and former Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi were all sounded out.

Tuchel ruled himself out of the race and with Southgate unwilling to enter talks until after Euro 2024, United were unable to look upon him as a viable replacement for Ten Hag. 

That strengthened Ten Hag’s position and after a thorough performance review of last season and constructive talks with the 54-year-old, United decided to give him the chance to prove himself next season.

After taking the job two years ago, Ten Hag has marked both of his season with trophies. His tenure has coincided with a turbulent period at the club, with majority owners the Glazer family putting United up for sale in November 2022.

Ten Hag, who has one year left on his current contract, saved himself by steering United to a stunning FA Cup final win over local rivals Manchester City last month. 

With United having finished eighth in the Premier League, their lowest position for 34 years, Ten Hag looked to be heading for the sack after just two years in charge on his £9million-a-year contract.

But with several key players back from injury, the beleaguered United boss masterminded a stunning 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side to a stunning and shock victory. The win, courtesy of goals from young rising stars Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, gave Ratcliffe and his team pause for thought over Ten Hag’s future and handed the manager a lifeline.

Having operated against the backdrop of a crippling injury list all last season, which forced him to field more than 30 different defensive combinations, Ten Hag showed what he was capable of achieving with a virtually full-strength squad to choose from.

Ratcliffe and his team, including Sir Dave Brailsford and newly-appointed technical director Jason Wilcox, decided to take a broad view of Ten Hag’s two years in charge of United when deciding his fate. Ten Hag, who claimed he inherited a “mess” when he took over at United, ended the club’s six-year wait for a trophy with last season’s Carabao Cup triumph over Newcastle at Wembley.

But it was the victory over City — and the quality of the performance in particular — that ultimately persuaded United’s football hierarchy that they should stick with Ten Hag. The conclusion from Ratcliffe and his coterie was that Ten Hag deserved the chance to prove himself within the new structure they have built at the club with a new recruitment team and strategy in place.

Sources also said Ten Hag impressed his United bosses with his relentless work ethic and dedication to the role, as well as the dignity and professionalism under huge pressure. 

The development of younger players, in particular Garnacho and Mainoo, was also a factor in Ten Hag staying, with Ratcliffe and his team accepting the unprecedented injury list as mitigation for United under-performing, both domestically and in Europe. — Mirror.