Erik ten Hag and Ineos 'dance' will drop a hint over Manchester United future

How far, then, is either side willing to bend? That is going to be crux of the matter for Erik ten Hag and Ineos over the next few weeks as they seek to find some more common ground.

Tuesday’s decision to stick with Ten Hag had felt like it was coming and it provides clarity heading into the summer, with the transfer window officially opening on Friday. It was inevitable that if the end-of-season review resulted in Ten Hag staying, a new contract had to be on the table.

Contract talks usually centre around two things: Money and the length of any deal. On this occasion, those details aren’t likely to tax the parties involved. Instead, it will be about how this job is structured.

ALSO READ: United make progress with Sancho and Greenwood exits as transfer plans ramp up

ALSO READ: Ten Hag faces power shift struggle with Ineos over new United contract proposal

Sir Jim Ratcliffe hasn’t exactly hidden his desire to draw up a very different football structure at Old Trafford. But Ineos inherited something of a traditional, old-school manager and now they have decided to stick with him. Where do we go from here?

These issues will be thrashed out in talks over the next few weeks. The first indication of how they’ve gone will be when the extension is announced in a press release. ‘Erik ten Hag has signed a new contract as Manchester United manager’, or ‘Erik ten Hag has signed a new contract as Manchester United head coach’.

Ratcliffe’s ideal model is, at least on paper, in place. Omar Berrada as chief executive, Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as technical director. Ashworth oversees the football department and a head coach reports to him.

But if there is an ideal flow chart for the structure sketched out in the Ineos offices, it will need to change. With his current contract, Ten Hag has at least as much power as Ashworth would, when he finally gets to Manchester.

Ten Hag has always insisted control over transfers is absolutely essential for him and he is unlikely to give that up easily in contract talks. If the veto remains in the 54-year-old’s deal then it weakens Ashworth’s hand and goes against the grain for Ineos.

Ten Hag seems to hold the better hand heading into talks after the last two weeks, but then he will be aware that being too intransigent won’t help his cause in the long term. There is a willingness on all sides to find a solution and the Dutchman is likely to accept he will have to bend a little.

Will that be enough for Ineos? Having been so public in trying to outline a new structure, to bring the best people in but then stick with a powerful manager would be a strange compromise. Ratcliffe could accept that he can only turn to the head coach model when he appoints Ten Hag’s successor, whenever that will be.

That doesn’t tend to be Ratcliffe’s style, however, and while the delay of the past two weeks hasn’t reflected well on Ineos, the zeal with which Ratcliffe has approached the task since February has generally been very impressive.

These negotiations will take place behind closed doors but one insider described them as an “interesting dance” after confirmation came that Ten Hag is staying. Who will give up the most? A solution will be found but at least one party will have to give something up.

It is entirely possible that Ten Hag retains his power but quickly builds up a strong relationship with Berrada, Ashworth and Wilcox. He worked well with previous football director John Murtough and had an excellent relationship with Ajax’s sporting director Marc Overmars.

There is a suspicion those relationships stayed so strong because Ten Hag got what he wanted. He might not find the Ineos structure quite as accommodating but the ultimate ambition for both parties is the same.

Ten Hag felt United were making up ground in many departments when he started in May 2022. Now, they have a football operations department that, once everyone is in place, looks equipped to drive the club forward. How the manager - or head coach - fits into that will be fascinating.