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Manchester United have officially announced a one-year contract extension for manager Erik ten Hag.
Negotiations had been ongoing over a new deal for the Dutchman following the conclusion of the club’s ‘end-of-season’ review which saw INEOS finally confirm their long-term faith in Ten Hag. The 54-year-old coach’s contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season, before the extension was triggered.
United announced the news on the club’s website with Dan Ashworth, the new sporting director who finally joined from Newcastle at the beginning of the week, describing Ten Hag as the “best partner for us to work with” moving forward.
Ashworth said: “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.”
“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.
“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently. With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”
Ten Hag’s response was also included in the official announcement, revealing how “very pleased” he was to sign the extension at Old Trafford after two years with successive trophies.
The Dutchman stated, “I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together. Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.”
“However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.
“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”
It marks a point of validation for Ten Hag after numerous reports contending INEOS were set to fire him, regardless of how his team performed in the end-of-season FA Cup final against Manchester City. The win, as well as the nature of the performance, which saw the Dutchman rally his players to execute his gameplan perfectly, will undoubtedly have played a role in INEOS’ decision, however.
And with the new executive structure at Old Trafford, comprising Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell, set to be in place imminently, and the future of the manager secure, United can now turn their attention in earnest to one of the most important transfer windows in the club’s recent history.
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