Erik ten Hag's future was a source of constant speculation after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group took charge of Manchester United's football operations in February 2024.
Diminishing returns on the field and a persistent injury crisis contributed to an eighth-place finish — United's lowest in the Premier League era — in the 2023/24 season.
A report by Jacob Steinberg in The Guardian on the eve of the FA Cup final claimed Ten Hag would be out of a job irrespective of the result at Wembley against Manchester City on May 25. However, United produced one of their best performances of the Ten Hag era as first-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo secured a 2-1 win to deny their neighbours the historic feat of back-to-back domestic doubles.
Ten Hag was understandably bullish over his prospects after defeating Pep Guardiola's side, although Ratcliffe remained tight-lipped and rumours over alternative incumbents of the Old Trafford dugout continued.
Reporter: “Sir Jim… is Erik staying?”
— Brad Cox (@BradJCox_) May 25, 2024
Sir Jim: 🤐#MUFC pic.twitter.com/BRCaEuercL
However, on June 11, multiple reports emerged that Ten Hag would stay on for the 2024/25 season and possibly beyond. The man himself later spoke about positive discussions over his future while appearing on Dutch television during Euro 2024.
On July 4, United announced that Ten Hag had agreed to a two-year contract extension, which would keep him at the club until the end of the 2025/26 season. Dan Ashworth, the club's new sporting director, said the review of their 2023/24 campaign "reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes".
So, what's changed?
MORE: Was 2023/24 Man United's worst-ever Premier League season?
Why is Erik ten Hag staying at Manchester United?
With Ten Hag set to lead Man United into the 2024/25 season after signing a contract extension, the club's decision-makers appear firm in their conviction that it's right to keep him in the job.
The Sporting News looks at four key reasons why they are sticking by their manager.
Man United beating Man City in the FA Cup final
It's all well and good to say a board should not be swayed by an isolated result. Indeed, it would be sensible for this not to be the case, given the one-off nature and unique variables of a cup final against your local rivals.
At the same time, the manner of United's performance and victory against City was impossible to ignore. The players demonstrated that they could carry out a clear game plan in and out of possession — something they failed to do frequently across the 2023/24 campaign. Having actual fit and functioning centre-backs massively helped Ten Hag's cause in that regard: Lisandro Martinez and the outgoing Raphael Varane were both fantastic in shackling Erling Haaland.
That the goals came from Garnacho and Mainoo, two teenage stars allowed to thrive by their manager, provided another resonant note. United rode their luck to an extent during the second half and Andre Onana's mistake to allow Jeremy Doku's goal set nerves jangling. But they held on and there were scenes of visceral joy among United fans at fulltime.
There can be no doubt that the FA Cup final reset the temperature for talks over Ten Hag's future, particularly given their win also secured European qualification for next season. If City had run out comfortable winners as expected, it's fairly easy to envisage what conclusion would have been reached during United's "season review".
Man United injuries and off-field chaos left Ten Hag fighting fires everywhere
The Glazer family began the sales process that ended with INEOS taking its stake in the club midway through the 2022/23 season, meaning that takeover talk and behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings have been active for the majority of Ten Hag's time in charge. That's no easy thing to have dealt with.
Questionable recruitment, a lack of tactical clarity and a relentless injury list are all factors where the manager cannot be blameless — he inherited the Mason Greenwood saga and created one of a purely footballing kind with Jadon Sancho — but he overall laundry list of woes endured by Ten Hag amounts to a set of circumstances in which it would be tough for any manager to succeed. He has been powerless to avoid some problems but compounded others.
The key thing for United's decision-makers over recent weeks has been where to draw the line. At least for now, Ten Hag is on the right side of it. Again, the cup final triumph helped his case.
Free of the tumult of their league season and bolstered by players returning from injury, United produced a cohesive display. It was, by necessity, a reactive performance against a far better team who were always likely to dominate possession. The challenge now is for Ten Hag to implement the proactive playing style that underpinned his dominant stint in charge of Ajax. He has failed to do that at United so far but will enjoy another — probably final — chance to remedy matters.
A lack of obvious replacements played into Ten Hag's hands
If we're weighing the extent to which Ten Hag has been a lucky or unlucky manager at United, the lack of a standout alternative falls into the former category.
England manager Gareth Southgate was purported to be a favourite with INEOS. However, it was clearly impossible to make any sort of pitch for his services for the duration of the Three Lions' Euro 2024 campaign. That would have seen the Ten Hag saga drag on potentially until mid-July, something that was not viable.
Departing Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel held "exploratory discussions" with United, according to The Guardian. Tuchel has obvious elite credentials as a former UEFA Champions League winner but also a consistent record of falling out with his superiors.
Mauricio Pochettino has been frequently linked to United over the past decade but if anyone endured a more chaotic season at a major English club than Ten Hag in 2023/24, it was the Argentine, as he helmed Chelsea's experiment in disaster capitalism.
In short, there was no silver bullet on the market, no obvious upgrade on Ten Hag, who at least knows where the holes in the roof are. Also, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were seen as perfect candidates and look how that worked out.
New contract, reduced transfer involvement, and bosses yet to take up jobs
It was reported in June that United were considering a new contract for Ten Hag, even though his existing deal had a year to run. On July 4, it was announced that an agreement had been reached to extend the manager's terms for an additional year.
It had been suggested that any new deal would potentially tweak Ten Hag's remit, with a pared-down focus upon coaching and preparing the team and away from the perils of the market. Transfer punts led by the Dutchman haven't exactly been a resounding success, with right-wing flop Antony the prime and most costly example.
While it appears that no such specifics were included in the new contract — the Athletic's David Ornstein said the deal had been extended "on existing terms" — it remains likely that the manager will have less of a hands-on involvement in recruitment given that United's new senior structure is now largely in place.
Incoming chief executive Omar Berrada, new sporting director Dan Ashworth, and technical director Jason Wilcox will be the figures who control most of that side of things now. Berrarda is still on gardening leave after leaving Manchester City, but Ashworth's move from Newcastle United to Old Trafford was at last finalised in early July. These are further circumstances to have fallen in Ten Hag's favour: it would have made little sense to appoint a new manager without Berrada and Ashworth being in position first.
In February, Ratcliffe flagged a guiding principle that United would "walk to the right solution, not run to the wrong one" on his watch. They've certainly taken their time over Ten Hag's future and repeated leaks amounted to an unseemly spectacle. The coming months will give a better idea of whether or not they walked in the right direction.
