Manchester United have begun talks with Erik ten Hag over a new contract at Old Trafford after a post-season review concluded the manager should remain on the sidelines at Old Trafford. The Dutchman had 12 months left on his current contract, with United having an option to extend for a further year, but he struggled to complete even the initial terms he signed after joining from Ajax.
Ten Hag had led Manchester United to their lowest league finish since 1990, eighth in the Premier League, but his side rallied on the final day of the season to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final, a second trophy in as many years for the club. club. This was followed by an internal review of the first team, which concluded on Tuesday, with both sides entering contract talks over an extension, CBS Sports sources confirmed.
United had considered numerous other potential managers for the vacancy, with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe holding talks with former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel, while CBS Sports sources said England boss Gareth Southgate was a favored option if he chose to take over to leave the international stage. the euro. Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was also considered, while Brentford's Thomas Frank and ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino have been linked.
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The dialogue between Ten Hag and INEOS, who are leading the sporting overhaul at Old Trafford, extended beyond the manager's own future to a wider review which, among other things, focused on: United's recent injury history, recruitment failures and the sporting structure surrounding their head coach. Many of these are currently being addressed, with Jason Wilcox arriving as technical director. Jordan Reece has also been appointed as head physio, joining a medical department that is being revamped under the leadership of his former Arsenal colleague, head of medical services Gary O'Driscoll.
There was a lot of sympathy for the difficulties Ten Hag had with injuries last season. He was without a natural left back several times during the season, with Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw sidelined through injury. Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Casemiro were among those who also missed significant time in the campaign.
The turbulence that engulfed United during a lengthy takeover process – which was only formally concluded in February when the Glazer family sold a minority stake to Ratcliffe – was also taken into account when assessing Ten Hag's performance. In his first season, the 54-year-old finished third in the Premier League, won the EFL Cup, reached the FA Cup final and qualified for the Champions League.
An altogether more challenging second year had concluded, with Ten Hag succeeding amid speculation that the FA Cup final might be his last game. He himself acknowledged after the win over Manchester City that he was in the dark about whether he would be able to take over in another United game. “Two trophies in two years is not bad, three finals in two years is not bad,” he said. “If they don't want me, I'll go somewhere else and win trophies because that's what I do.”
United concluded that they did indeed want Ten Hag, who will now operate with a de facto endorsement from Ratcliffe that had not come since INEOS arrived at Old Trafford. Whether or not he will be a success when and if the mitigating factors are addressed remains to be seen. Across two seasons of Premier League football, United have just the seventh best goal difference in the league (fourteen) and are ninth when the top flight is ranked by expected goal difference, significantly behind the likes of Brentford, Chelsea and Brighton.
