After months of speculation and two and a half weeks after the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, Erik ten Hag can finally breathe a sigh of relief that he will stay on as Manchester United manager.
The news broke late last night that after INEOS had conducted their end-of-season review, they deemed it the correct decision to confirm Ten Hag would be staying on as manager and he is currently discussing a new contract with the club.
The board reportedly has full confidence in his vision and management style, believing he is the right man to lead United forward after the conclusion of their evaluation.
It is quite the turn around when you consider the day before the cup final it was heavily reported that the decision to sack Ten Hag had already been taken and numerous candidates were openly linked to the still very much filled dugout.
However, was it the right decision?
Last season was bad, you cannot escape that or dress it up with an FA Cup win. An eighth place finish and a goal difference of minus one after 38 games suggests that a club has major issues, especially when they are as expensively assembled as this United team is.
An embarrassing exit from Europe in the group stages to Copenhagen and Galatasaray is downright pathetic for a team of United’s ilk.
Moreover, the Dutchman’s recruitment has massively come under the microscope as expensive signings like Casemiro and Antony have failed to impress and are said to be some of the first names on the chopping block this summer from an INEOS perspective.
An outlay of a combined £156 million for two players who are deemed surplus to requirements after two years is pretty incompetent, even for United’s recent standards.
Ten Hag can also not escape criticism for his side’s baffling tactics and his stubborn refusal to change, as his defence and midfield resembled a sieve more than an elite sporting team during the spring, gifting chance upon chance to any rival in sight.
Having said all that, in the current circumstances, keeping Ten Hag would seem to be the right choice.
The main reason is that it is very questionable to suggest there is anyone available right now who would definitely do a better job. Were a young Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp ready to step in, then the decision would be a no-brainer for most.
However, this just isn’t the case. Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino are both well respected managers but they both have major flaws. There are issues around the German’s style of football and ability to fall out with almost any ownership structure and Pochettino’s lack of trophies at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also count against him.
Other names such as Thomas Frank, Kieran McKenna and Roberto De Zerbi are all exciting managers in their own right but it is very reasonable to suggest that a step up to United is far too big a one from the current clubs they are managing.
United fans were also nervously sweating over the probable availability of Gareth Southgate after the Euros and this may be a bridge United will need to cross in the future but thankfully, not yet.
Ten Hag does have his own value, however. In the world of football people tend to have a very myopic view and it was only last year that the club was playing some of its best football since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. With the guidance of INEOS and Jason Wilcox as technical director, Ten Hag can take a step back and just focus on coaching a style that the new owners are content with.
Nobody knows if INEOS’ new structure will be successful but it will certainly be something different from what has come before. Ten Hag will be the first United manager in the Glazer era has been surrounded by a collection of such talented footballing people as Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth. The new owners probably back themselves to provide a much better support for the manager than John Murtough, Ed Woodward or Richard Arnold ever could.
Another factor to consider is the ridiculous injuries the team suffered last season and it stands to reason that unless the club really is cursed, Ten Hag will not be without key players such as Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw for so much of the season.
Furthermore, players like Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund should grow as players in their second season and we have yet to see anything of the potential of players like Mason Mount.
Another factor that has certainly helped Ten Hag has been the use and growth of numerous young players this season. Fortunately United’s under 18 team is prospering at the moment and there will likely be numerous talents to give debuts too over the coming months and years.
The rise of players such as Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag shows he will give opportunities to young players and trust them if they are good enough. United fans hope he will continue to do so or at least INEOS will obligate him to.
Finally, United are all about winning trophies. Even when the team has been in such a state of chaos and so many issues occurring on and off the pitch, the club still have two trophies in two years.
Yes, you could argue they are “only” the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but most clubs would kill to win one of these trophies just once. The standards are higher at United but not even the most wide-eyed United fan could argue the club is currently in any condition to win the Premier League or the Champions League at this stage.
Keeping Erik Ten Hag won’t be universally popular but in the context United have found themselves, it is the right decision to take. Now it is up to him and INEOS to deliver after making the fanbase wait on tenterhooks for such a long time.
