Ten Hag sack: Man Utd told five-year deal won’t repel axe talk as Ratcliffe is urged to avoid big blunder
Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, manager Erik ten Hag
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been told that he has done the right thing in sparing Erik ten Hag from the Manchester United sack as talks continue over a new contract at Old Trafford, though with the Red Devils warned of the big mistakes the Dutchman has made during his two years in charge.
The Premier League giants endured a rollercoaster of a season last time out, when finishing in an all-time lowly Premier League position of eighth, and having already crashed and burned in embarrassing fashion in the Champions League before that. Despite all the doom and gloom, Manchester United still managed to salvage a very sizeable piece of wreckage from their season by stunning Manchester City to win the FA Cup at Wembley.
That performance not only served to proof to United’s owners that the Dutchman can be tactically savvy against the very best, it also showed his players are willing to dig deep and run through the proverbial brick walls for him when asked.
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And with the Wembley win also delivering a second piece of silverware of his reign – pitting him alongside Jose Mourinho as United’s joint most-successful manager since Sir Alex Ferguson – it was a result that, in effect, spared Ten Hag from the sack.
Despite that, it still took Ratcliffe and Co the best part of two weeks to reach a decision on the Dutchman’s future. And having also held talks in Monaco with a potential successor in Thomas Tuchel, Ten Hag was left feeling extremely frustrated at the way United conducted themselves.
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Man Utd latest: Strachan insists pressure will remain on Ten Hag
All the same, United are now planning their future with Ten Hag at the helm for the forseeable future and with Ratcliffe convinced the Dutchman remains the best man to steer the club forwards.
To that end, a report on Tuesday revealed the timeline on the new deal and when United want to have the arrangement with Ten Hag finalised by.
Former United winger Gordon Strachan welcomes the decision to stand by the Dutchman, but insists the pressure will remain on his shoulders regardless and even if the club tied him down to a bumper new five-year deal.
Discussing United’s decision, Strachan told Genting: “I thought that the longer it was unresolved, the less chance that he had of keeping his position as the Manchester United manager. Then I thought to myself, surely Manchester United can’t be mentally torturing this fella by keeping him on tender hooks like this if they weren’t going to keep him. Football management can be a cruel game, but nobody is that cruel surely. So, I changed my mind.
“Then you start to hear things about Jim Ratcliffe, and that he’s a decent bloke. You speak to a few people in the game and then you assess what’s happening. After everything that I had heard about Jim Ratcliffe, there was no way that he would have left his manager hanging like that if he didn’t think he was good enough. He would have made the decision to fire him quickly. He’s keeping his job, which is great!”
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TEAMtalk understands United want to offer Ten Hag a two-year extension on top of the year he currently has left, taking him through to summer 2027. An option for an additional year on top of that could be factored into any new deal.
Strachan, though, believes that even if Ten Hag was offered a huge five-year deal by United, it would not repel sack talk coming his way in the future if results take a turn for the worse.
Furthermore, Strachan has also advised United on what needs to change going forwards if the Dutchman is to become a success and has suggested Ratcliffe takes away the transfer authority away from the 54-year-old, whose record in the market so far ‘has not been great’.
“I’m sure Erik ten Hag would love a new five-year contract, who wouldn’t,” Strachan added, before admitting: “There will always be speculation about your future when you’re the manager of Manchester United and you don’t win every game. I’m sure there will be more speculation over the next few months, despite the club’s decision to stick with him.
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“As for a new deal, I don’t think it’s likely, and certainly not one for more than a season or two. They would be wise to see how Erik ten Hag gets on for the first six months of the season,” Strachan said.
When discussing summer recruitment, Strachan, who was sold by Sir Alex Ferguson to Leeds for a bargain £300,000 in March 1989, has called out the Dutchman’s record in the transfer market.
“Sometimes a club will veto a signing a manager wants for a number of reasons, not because they don’t believe in or see a long-term future with the manager. Recruitment is always dangerous for a manager.
“If you really, really push for a signing and they flop, that’s a blot on your record, and it happens. Your heads on the line in those situations, and to be fair to ten Hag, he’s made quite a few bad signings in his two years at the club so far.
“Perhaps it’s better to let someone else take the lead on recruitment,” Strachan concluded.