Erik Ten Hag was on the verge of being sacked. There were numerous reports of the FA Cup final being his last as a Manchester United manager. However, he won the title for United and turned things around. They beat Manchester City in a 2-1 win over them. Argentine Alejandro Garnacho and English starboy Kobbie Mainoo scored goals in that match.
With Erik Ten Hag on the verge of leaving, there were many rumours of new managers being contacted by Manchester United. A name at the top of the rumours was Thomas Tuchel, recently sacked by Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel is a Champions League-winning manager and needs no introduction. However, he seemingly rejected the offer to manage Manchester United. The other names on the list were Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank.
However, it was ultimately decided that they should offer a two-year contract extension to Erik Tan Hag.
The Erik Ten Hag decision
The newly appointed technical director, Jason Wilcox, was tasked with carrying out an audit on Ten Hag’s relationship with the players and his tactics, while Sir Dave Brailsford was given the responsibility of auditing the club as a whole.
“It was Brailsford who was most keen on keeping Erik Ten Hag.”
“The club cited several reasons why they had decided against his sacking. One was the fact that Ten Hag had to deal with a huge number of injuries last season, which is fair. They also said that the FA Cup win was a good reason to keep Ten Hag on.
”However it is also puzzling that they didn’t publicly back him after the cup win if it was such an important factor in their decision. Another reason — and this is more palatable — is the fact that he has helped to develop Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho into star performers for United, both at the age of 19. “
“It is a club that prides itself on its academy’s success. As a lifelong United fan, Ratcliffe knows that is the case.“
“However, standards at the club have certainly fallen, and this needs to be addressed, as it was revealed that “one member of the backroom staff found it astonishing that the players were high fiving each other after a 4-3 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stages.”
The situation now
Prior to the announcement of the outcome, it was known that Brailsford was arguing in favor of Ten Hag’s retention during board meetings, though it was not clear if this was his true position or if he was just doing his duty.
The fact that Ten Hag’s main architect was also in charge of examining the Glazers’ complete disarray of the club may say volumes about him.
Theoretically, Ten Hag should be much more effective if he is part of a winning sports team, and INEOS surely believes they are with the upcoming additions of Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox, and Dan Ashworth.
The key takeaway is that Erik Ten Hag is going to stay. After long discussions, they have come to this conclusion. The fans will have to trust the board and Erik Ten Hag. It is nice to see that the board is not following the recent trend of dismissing managers. Clubs change managers every season, and it stops them from building a proper project.
Just like Mikel Arteta, every manager needs time to build a squad. Even more time to rebuild a squad at a club that has lost its former glory. Erik Ten Hag is a manager who did wonders at Ajax in the Eredivisie. He should be given time. For that, the fans and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have to be patient.
Manchester United are being reported to have big plans for the summer transfer window. If Erik Ten Hag is given the players he wants, there is no reason to doubt him.
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