Erik ten Hag won a battle against Cristiano Ronaldo and a war to keep his Manchester United job

Erik ten Hag was appointed at Manchester United to restore discipline at the club.

He won the game of thrones with Cristiano Ronaldo, who described himself as 'the king' when reporting for pre-season in July 2022, and his reign will continue for a third year. It's been a battle but he fights on.

After a disappointing season, it seemed likely Ten Hag would be overthrown as ruler, but he's been given a vote of confidence from Sir Jim Ratcliffe to remain in charge.

Club sources confirmed on Tuesday night that Ten Hag would remain in charge and that discussions have taken place to extend his contract. United fans want Ten Hag to return the club to its former glories and he's avoided the same fate as his predecessors for now.

ALSO READ: Why United are keeping Erik ten Hag as manager

ALSO READ: United announce decision on Erik ten Hag

Each manager since Sir Alex Ferguson has been burdened by the weight of the crown at United. The job has slain talented coaches who have a proven record of success.

"If they don't want me any more, then I will go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I did my whole career," said Ten Hag in his most recent press conference.

If Ten Hag had been sacked, he would have been remembered for winning two trophies in two seasons and reconnecting harmony between players and fans during an excellent first year in charge. He will get the opportunity to further build on that legacy instead.

Ten Hag made a superb first impression and looked capable of dealing with the intricacies of the role, but many believed he'd become the fifth United boss to be sacked in the last 11 years after overseeing a joyless Premier League campaign that produced an eighth-placed finish.

Ratcliffe's co-ownership is at the beginning of its journey and Ten Hag has been kept on the bus. Only time will reveal whether the right roads are taken, but there must be doubts the right decision has been made considering the large bank of evidence stacked against the case to keep him.

United suffered a record number of defeats in a Premier League season and conceded their most goals in a campaign. Ten Hag oversaw a total of 19 defeats across all competitions in 2023/24 and that was the joint most since 1977/78 when United finished 10th in the table.

The unwanted records have stacked up. United were out of Europe and the Carabao Cup before Christmas and only briefly flirted with Champions League qualification.

Regardless of the outcome of the FA Cup final, a swift decision on Ten Hag was expected to be communicated and perhaps emotion crept into INEOS' season review process.

It took more than two weeks after the FA Cup triumph to announce Ten Hag would be kept and many fans have been delighted at the news. Others who became in favour of sacking Ten Hag in the middle of a challenging season expect another season of mediocrity in the league.

The truth is Ratcliffe had to make a ruthless decision on Ten Hag. It couldn't be decided on emotion - it had to be calculated - and a friendly handshake goodbye was required.

Ten Hag wouldn't have been able to complain if he'd been sacked and it wouldn't have taken the gloss off what he achieved as United boss, particularly during his first year in charge.

The power struggle with Ronaldo during the first months of Ten Hag's tenure was a test of his mettle. The eyes of the world were watching and his authority was challenged, but he saw Ronaldo off in no-nonsense fashion and the forward made an escape to Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan was an extraordinary episode and Ten Hag handled it with class. He didn't say a word during the ordeal and yet he was the biggest winner. Ten Hag's standing at Old Trafford was only enhanced by disposing of a petulant Ronaldo and his handling of one of football's all-time greats sent a clear message to the dressing room. United hired Ten Hag because he was a disciplinarian and he restored standards at Carrington.

For too long, player power had festered and there was an unsatisfactory culture, but Ten Hag addressed those issues and reaped the awards on the pitch in his first season.

After defeats against Brighton and Brentford in the opening two games of the season, there were suggestions United could finish in the bottom half of the table, but a 2-1 victory against Liverpool at Old Trafford came next and that provided a spark for the subsequent turnaround.

Ten Hag approached the Premier League naively in his first two games, setting up United as he would with an Eredivisie side, but tweaked his tactics against Liverpool. A tactical compromise was settled on and Casemiro was signed, despite Frenkie de Jong being identified as the manager's first choice target at the start of the summer window.

De Jong not coming to United was a blessing in disguise. The midfield would have continued to be a problem and it needed someone with the defensive presence of Casemiro, who provided cover to the defensive line and was exceptional in his first year in Manchester.

Lisandro Martinez was another excellent arrival. The defender's skillset is unique and Ten Hag reiterated the importance of having a left-footed centre-back for build-up play.

Martinez built a formidable partnership with Raphael Varane and with Casemiro sitting in front of the pair, United had a solid defensive foundation that was tough to break down. Marcus Rashford was scoring for fun at the other side of the pitch and there were some memorable wins.

The victories against Manchester City and Barcelona at the beginning of 2023 were special results. The Manchester derby win was secured after quick-fire goals from Bruno Fernandes and Rashford and there was a stirring atmosphere at Old Trafford against Barcelona.

The Carabao Cup final came a few days after that win in Europe and Ten Hag ended a six-year trophy drought by overseeing a comfortable 2-0 victory over Newcastle.

"We are still in a start to restore Man United to where they belong, which is winning trophies and this is the first one," said Ten Hag, whose popularity was at an all-time high.

In the spring of 2023, United collapsed against Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Ten Hag looked incensed at that defeat, but a third-placed finish in the Premier League was secured and his first season in charge was considered a resounding success.

Ten Hag signed Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Altay Bayindir and Jonny Evans on permanent deals, which took his United spending beyond the £400million mark in two summer windows. Sofyan Amrabat and Sergio Reguilon were also signed on loan.

The Dutchman received the heaviest backing of any other manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era and was given a large degree of influence over transfers, which led to an influx of players with Eredivisie pedigree, including the signing of Antony from Ajax for £86million.

Further progress was expected but the wheels spectacularly fell off. United were fortunate to beat Wolves 1-0 on the opening day of the 2023/24 season - the midfield was too open and a flurry of shots were conceded - and that performance set the tone for the rest of the campaign.

United conceded seven goals against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in their opening two games of the Champions League group stage. They were forced to come from behind to win against Nottingham Forest, they lost against Brighton and Crystal Palace, and would have lost against Brentford at home if not for a remarkable Scott McTominay brace deep into added time.

It became clear a few months into the season there were problems. There was a gap the size of the Grand Canyon in midfield and too many chances were being conceded. Jadon Sancho had already been banished from the first-team at that stage and Ten Hag correctly dealt with him.

United were hammered 3-0 by Manchester City at the end of October and lost 3-0 against a third-string Newcastle team in the Carabao Cup just a few days later.

By then, the United squad had been hit by injuries, but a makeshift Newcastle dominated the game with Paul Dummet and Emil Krafth at centre half. Casemiro's decline was becoming apparent, Martinez had been ruled out for three months and Rashford's goals had dried up.

A 4-3 defeat against Copenhagen, a result that essentially condemned United to finish bottom of their Champions League group, came next and it was another example of reckless United, who comfortably had a 2-0 lead and somehow managed to lose the game.

Rashford was sent off in the 42nd minute, but United conceded twice in quick succession before half-time and conceding in that manner became a theme of the campaign. The in-game management was awful and the questions for Ten Hag were beginning to mount.

Even when United won matches, like their 2-1 win against Chelsea on December 6, they never did it convincingly and gave the impression they were just getting by. They conceded far too many chances and the lack of clear style and structure was a stick to beat Ten Hag with. Bournemouth also humiliated United at Old Trafford by winning 3-0 during the winter.

After making a tactical compromise in his first season, Ten Hag was determined to usher in the next stage of his vision and Onana was signed to help execute that plan. Ten Hag wanted United to play a more expensive, front-foot style but it left huge space for the opposition to exploit.

United suddenly looked like a poorly coached team and although Tottenham drew 2-2 at Old Trafford in January, the away side controlled the contest and played with a recognisable style, despite Ange Postecoglou not having his five best players in Spurs' squad available.

The Reds had become reliant on moments of individual brilliance from their stars and that was an accusation Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faced during the final months of his tenure. United were supposed to progress in Ten Hag's second season but produced Solskjaer-esque displays instead.

Ten Hag's tactics became heavily scrutinised and he pointed toward the injury list as results worsened. The injury crisis last season was unrelenting - United recorded over 60 separate cases of injury or illness - and it posed the kind of challenges a manager prays to never encounter.

It was hard not to sympathise with Ten Hag, who had to pick a different defensive line almost every week and was forced to include youngsters from the academy in the squad. It's also understood INEOS' season review concluded injuries were concentrated in key positions.

But Ten Hag didn't help himself. He failed to tactically adapt, couldn't address the gaping space in midfield and began to sound like a manager on his way out in post-match interviews. He spoke notably more upbeat after defeats and insisted there should be belief in his project.

United enjoyed a five-game unbeaten streak between January and February. Hojlund found his groove in front of goal, Kobbie Mainoo was confirmed as one of Europe's brightest young talents and there was briefly a chance United could finish in the Champions League places.

Ten Hag was brilliant for the development of Alejandro Garnacho and Mainoo and continued to give them starts, despite privately conceding they were being overplayed. Both players paid back the faith shown in them by their manager by scoring in the FA Cup final in May.

In the weeks leading up to the FA Cup final and with Ratcliffe's investment having been made official, it felt like Ten Hag was on trial and the evidence against him was compelling. Brentford dominated United and it was a miracle the game ended as a 1-1 draw, there was a 4-3 loss against Chelsea, despite a win looking secured again, and a tepid performance against Bournemouth.

A special victory against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup came before that run of fixtures. That result will be remembered for decades and fans leaving Old Trafford on that evening floated through the exits, but it felt like a single performance wasn't going to decide Ten Hag's future.

On that note, Ten Hag's tactics in the FA Cup final against City at Wembley were perfect, his team selection was emphatically vindicated and it was the finest win of his tenure, but it feels like the eight months before that triumph have been ignored. United were objectively awful.

The semi-final win against Coventry City was chaotic and a symbol of everything that had gone wrong with his reign. United won the competition and that display didn't matter, but it suggested it would be a risk for INEOS to persist with Ten Hag into the new season.

Ten Hag has been backed and the risk could pay off. The managerial market wasn't inspiring and with a fully fit squad again, he will be given time to build on his first two seasons.

Ten Hag has done a lot of great work at United. He oversaw special victories in his first season in charge, won two trophies, he addressed the poor culture at Carrington and embedded Garnacho and Mainoo, yet the bad had begun to outweigh the good throughout 2023/24.

The team's lack of style, the failure to revert to a Plan B before the FA Cup final, the questionable transfer record; suffering a record number of Premier League defeats and breaking a list of unwanted records are all just some of the reasons that some fans wanted to see him sacked. But he refused to lie down, kept battling and has speared the critics.

Ten Hag has been backed and lives to fight another day as king. His reign will continue.