Ten Hag to get two more years in new United deal
Erik ten Hag is likely to be offered a two-year contract extension to his current deal at Manchester United.
United players had thought last week the manager would be sacked after the club finally completed their end-of-season review, only to find he had earned a reprieve when news broke on Tuesday night.
The majority of the squad are with their respective international camps, which meant they were not privy to inside information and were largely kept out of the loop.
One source told Telegraph Sport: “The overriding reaction to the news among the players seems to have been surprise. They didn’t really have a clue about what was going on.”
Most players are said to be pleased the uncertainty has ended and that the club can now move on with their summer plans.
Ten Hag had grown increasingly frustrated as United’s review stretched into a third week, fearing it would affect the transfer strategy as well as his own position.
The Dutchman wanted to carry on and has agreed to talks over a new, extended contract. A preliminary discussion has taken place, with United suggesting they have not reached details over the length of a deal. There is an expectation that it will be two more years.
Ten Hag arrived on a three-year deal in 2022, with United holding an option to extend for a further 12 months. It means his contract is due to run out on June 30, 2025, but is set to be superseded by a deal with another two years. Ten Hag will therefore have three years left to run from the end of this month.
Ten Hag was disappointed that United spoke to other managers during the review but accepted that his future was in doubt and does not believe that he has been fatally undermined.
A new contract is a natural consequence of United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe – who is effectively running the club – deciding that he wants Ten Hag to carry on. It would have been awkward for the manager to go into the final 12 months of his contract given the speculation over whether he would stay.
United held talks with Thomas Tuchel, who has decided he will take a break from football after leaving Bayern Munich, and met representatives of Brentford manager Thomas Frank. There were also discussions over Mauricio Pochettino, who was ruled out, and Roberto De Zerbi, while Kieran Mckenna chose to sign a new contract at promoted Ipswich Town.
In the end, United’s hierarchy,
led by Ratcliffe, has chosen to keep Ten Hag in place and give him the opportunity to improve the club’s fortunes following the FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, which helped sway their decision.
There is an acceptance that the review took too long but the mitigation is that it was the first time they had conducted one and they wanted to give themselves time and not rush into a “knee-jerk” reaction. It will be an annual process, as happens at other clubs, but is expected to be far quicker next year.
It will be fascinating to see the
reshaping of Ten Hag’s role in his new contract. The 54-year-old holds the title of manager but Ineos would prefer to have a head coach in the post to work within their structure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, when he eventually arrives from Newcastle United, and technical director Jason Wilcox, who has been integral to the review.
There is a belief that Ten Hag has had too much power at United and not least in transfer deals, although he has, understandably, argued that this was partly because of the lack of infrastructure at the club.
John Murtough, who has left as football director, was instrumental in Ten Hag’s appointment but there were concerns whether he was up to the job of providing the necessary support. In fairness, Murtough could argue that he neither had the necessary structure around him and there is sympathy towards him.
The £82million paid to Ajax for Antony – a deal Ten Hag insisted upon – caused astonishment. However, the manager argues this was partly because United prevaricated, allowing Ajax to inflate the price.
Although transfer funds will be made available this summer, they are expected to be limited – with suggestions the sum may be as low as £50million – given the amount of United spending in the past few years. The priority will be to get the best out of the existing squad, while a plus for Ten Hag has been the development of young players, led by Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
There is an acceptance that Ten Hag has been severely hampered by injuries – the most in the Premier League, according to the club – and especially in key positions, such as central defence.
The review has concluded that long-terms signings such as Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount, who was injured for most of last season, have taken time to bed in and that their full benefit will be felt in the next campaign.
The key finding of the review was that Ten Hag deserves a chance to show what he is capable of within the new sporting structure that Ratcliffe and Ineos, under new chief executive Omar Berrada, who officially starts next month, are establishing.
There is no doubt that winning the FA Cup, and the impressive performance against City at Wembley, was an important factor as it guaranteed European football in the Europa League. United were also aware of the fans’ reaction and factored that in.