Following an extensive end-of-season review lasting more than two weeks, new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford concluded that Erik ten Hag is the right man to be the coach of the Manchester United. For now.
But there is no escaping the fact that the Dutchman has had to wait more than three months for any real show of support. Ratcliffe's deal to buy a 27.7% stake in the club was ratified in February and since then the British billionaire has circled around the issue of who should be United manager. Even after winning the FA Cup following a thrilling, if surprising, 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the final, Ratcliffe's interaction with Ten Hag was limited to a firm handshake. Pep Guardiola, City coach, received a big hug.
Since Wembley there has been nothing but silence.
Ratcliffe's mantra is that “you should always walk towards the right solution rather than running towards the wrong solution”, but for 16 days United have been stuck. Late Tuesday, sources told ESPN that with the review finally concluded, Ten Hag would remain as coach. Club sources insisted it was the “clear conclusion” and hinted a contract extension could be on the way.
But that ignores the fact that United have had serious reservations about whether to continue with the former Ajax Amsterdam boss. Brailsford made his own doubts clear by sanctioning talks with other candidates before the end of the season. Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank, Graham Potter, Kieran McKenna and Roberto De Zerbi were all sounded out in one way or another with news that leaked the week before the cup final.
On the eve of the final, it was reported that Ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the result against City, but at no point did United contact the Dutchman's representatives to downplay him. Following probably his biggest win as United manager, Ten Hag was defiant in the Wembley press room saying that if the owners “don't want me then I'll go somewhere else to win trophies because that's what I do”.
There were moments in his post-match press conference when you felt his frustration reach the boiling point, but it was directed as much at Ratcliffe and Brailsford as it was at the reporters asking the questions. The question now is what will happen next?
Ten Hag will, in some capacity, be involved in United's summer transfer business and will begin the new campaign as manager. But after harboring so many doubts, it's easy to see a scenario where INEOS makes a change at the first sign of trouble next season.
It opens up the possibility of appointing Gareth Southgate, who has been reluctant to engage in talks about other positions as he concentrates on leading England to Euro 2024. The timing of appointing Southgate this summer never worked out with United set to play their first friendly of preseason. against Rosenborg in Norway on July 15, just 24 hours after the Euro Cup final.
Southgate has been vague about his future beyond the tournament in Germany and his FA contract expires at the end of the year. A poor run at the start of the season could easily cost Ten Hag his job and approaching Southgate in September or October is a much easier task than trying to do so while preparing for a major tournament.
Brailsford and incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth are big admirers of Southgate, but he has not managed a club since he was sacked by Middlesbrough in 2009. He has done well with England, reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the final. of Euro 2020, but there would likely be protests among fans if he appeared at Old Trafford.
News of Ten Hag's survival on Tuesday seemed more like a stay of execution than an approved approval. Ten Hag hopes that he has been proven right and that, with a team in top form, results improve and he can secure his future with positive performances and results on the field. Until then, however, his future will be on a knife's edge. Every setback at the start of the season will be followed by questions about his future, while the shadows of unemployed managers such as Southgate, Tuchel, Potter, Pochettino and De Zerbi will hang ominously in the background.
United's form has dipped significantly since winning the Carabao Cup in February 2023 (they have lost more than a third of their 74 games since beating Newcastle United at Wembley and finishing eighth in the Premier League last season) and Ten Hag You will need a recovery. He results quickly if he wants to completely expel the skeptics.
Club bosses insisted that the decision on Ten Hag's future brought “clarity” to the situation, but in reality that is not the case. Ten Hag is the manager for now and that's it. It could still be a very brief respite.
