Yahoo News Ineos hint and Pochettino chance - Erik ten Hag sack verdict given amid Man United announcement wait
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag remains in limbo with the club yet to make a decision on his future. The Dutchman looked set to be sacked toward the end of the season but the stunning FA Cup final defeat of Manchester City might have spared the former Ajax boss the sack.
It is understood that United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has control of footballing operations at Old Trafford, could move on from Ten Hag with Ineos Group beginning their review of the club's strategy last week. The Manchester Evening News understands that Ineos have analysed potential replacements with a well-placed source telling the MEN back in February that Ratcliffe is 'not completely sold' on Ten Hag.
Despite the FA Cup win, it was a bitterly disappointing campaign on the whole for United with an eighth-placed finish coming after a Champions League group stage that ended with the club bottom of Group A.
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Here, the MEN has its say with writers debating whether Ten Hag should stay at United or depart the club...
Kieran King
Despite winning the FA Cup to end a miserable season on a high, United should sack Ten Hag. Although the Dutchman has faced his fair share of off-field concerns including Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and uncertainty over a takeover, finishing eighth with a club-record number of Premier League losses (14) is inexcusable.
United would be better off dismissing Ten Hag and rebuilding with someone such as Mauricio Pochettino, who has experience of working with young players and improving a club's fortunes - like he did with Chelsea. That, added with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS overhauling their football operations, would give United a massive lift.
Isaac Johnson
The fact that a decision has yet to be made over Erik ten Hag’s future shows that this is a close call. There are other options out there including Mauricio Pochettino, who was one of the candidates before Ten Hag got the nod in 2022.
Comments that won’t have helped the current manager’s cause is his blame-game on the former hierarchy for overpaying on transfers. It hardly casts an ‘all in it together’ picture, which is the atmosphere Sir Jim Ratcliffe is trying to create.
Two trophy lifts have to count for something, as should two wins over Manchester City and Liverpool during his tenure - but United lost to Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in their record worst Premier League season, and were almost embarrassed by Championship side Coventry in the FA Cup semi-finals. Ratcliffe has laid down the gauntlet and replaced the board with an elite force for the long-term - it doesn’t seem like Ten Hag is of that level after two years of evidence.
Oliver Jones
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS crew really do have a big decision on their hands. This isn't just about Erik ten Hag's future, it's about the future of Manchester United.
I think it'd be a big shame to let the Dutchman go after what has been a strong two-year period in the Old Trafford dugout. Despite shaky runs throughout the season just gone, Europa League football was secured through the dramatic FA Cup final win over rivals Manchester City and for many, that was a lifeline for Ten Hag.
But his impressive results in the season prior, a successful Carabao Cup run and a third-place finish in the Premier League, showed that he can get results with the right players at his disposal. The transfer ideology may need reworking, but Ten Hag has already proven himself to be a big-game manager when he needs to be and sacking him for the unknown could be the wrong decision.
Keifer MacDonald
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea have all made their move, but Manchester United appear to be in limbo when deciding Erik ten Hag's future as manager. The Dutchman has endured a complicated two-year reign at Old Trafford and before last month's FA Cup final against Manchester City, it appeared to all that, regardless of the result, he would be saying goodbye to the club shortly after the final whistle.
That, though, hasn't been the case and in the days following that impressive 2-1 triumph over Pep Guardiola's side, the radio silence from new Old Trafford chiefs INEOS appears to hint that Ten Hag could be handed one last opportunity to impress with a third season at the helm. And judging by United's performance against Wembley, which was headlined by young guns Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo - two youngsters who have prospered under Ten Hag - maybe the Dutchman does deserve one final chance to break the Old Trafford managerial hoodoo.
Tom Coley
That no decision yet has been made on Ten Hag's future seems to say a lot, and frankly it's quite refreshing. Although nobody can argue that he set the team up well there are also questions that go high above him.
If Ineos and Sir Jim Radcliffe think that they can provide a better foundation for Ten Hag to build from, then allowing this summer and a final chance for the manager is a decision with more thought than has gone into most at United in recent years.
Tyrone Marshall
It is now 12 days since United lifted the FA Cup at Wembley and we are still no closer to knowing whether Erik ten Hag is staying or going. Ineos promised a thorough end-of-season review after that surprise triumph under the arch but this is starting to feel less like a detailed process and more like dithering.
There was an expectation earlier this week that an announcement either way could come at the back end of the week. For now, the wait goes on.
Ten Hag will want a decision on his future sooner rather than later and transfer targets and players considering their future also need clarity. United have to deliver that and start planning for next season, rather than looking in the rearview mirror.
The longer it goes on the more the feeling persists that United might be leaning towards keeping Ten Hag. If he does stay, then a new contract should be on the table and a change in job title is also a possibility. Whether Ten Hag is willing to agree with the conditions remains to be seen.
Either way, the clock is ticking and Ineos need to start looking forward and not back.
George Smith
I have backed Erik ten Hag's corner throughout this period of uncertainty and I will continue to do so on this occasion as well. The Dutchman battled through an unprecedented injury crisis in the 2023/24 season that directly contributed to a below par Premier League campaign.
Winning the FA Cup was an unexpected success for Ten Hag, but one that proved that he is still capable of getting a tune out of this squad. Ineos' dithering on a decision suggests they still believe that as well.
If they had wanted to make a change, they would have done it by now, surely? It is almost two weeks since the final and pre-season plans will start ramping up before you know it - the start of the transfer window is also only eight days away.
Isaac Seelochan
Ten Hag deserves more respect with the success of his first season completely forgotten about after a campaign where he has had to deal with a huge injury crisis. Those questioning why United surrendered so many shots in 23/24 just have to look at the many centre-back combinations Ten Hag has been forced to field with midfielders like Casemiuro being used there.
However, despite the trophy-winning success, there has been no clear style of play after two seasons in charge and injuries are not an excuse for that. Ten Hag may have needed to fight fires in his second season in charge but a clearer identity on the pitch will have given him more leeway.
United's issues have often been unfairly labelled on Ten Hag but his biggest fault is not being able to get United playing with a clear identity. I have serious doubts over whether the Dutchman will be able to change this next season so I would argue a fresh start is needed.
What the pundits have said
There's been so much chat around Ten Hag's future recently, with United legends Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane having their say. Even Darts sensation Luke Littler, an avid United fan who was recently crowned the winner of the competition's Premier League, has offered his verdict.
"I want him to stay no matter what. Even if we lost (the FA Cup final)," Littler said. "If you look down the line of managers we've had like Louis van Gaal who won the FA Cup and then got sacked after a season, I think Jose Mourinho's the only one who had two to three years. David Moyes, he only had ten months.
"So I just think we (should) keep him, because we're getting these managers for a year or two and they're not doing anything. So if we give them time things might change.
"I like what he does, just give him time. Give him next season and if he doesn't do ought, let him go."
Rooney agrees, saying recently that Ten Hag should be kept at United and laying the blame at the door of the recruitment team. "When you're losing games in the way they're losing games, there's going to be big questions asked," he said.
"I would personally hope they do give him time, there are a lot of problems with recruitment, it hasn't been good for a few years. "I hope he gets time to do it right. But we saw it in 2016 when Van Gaal lost his job, so you never know."
Keane also reckons Ten Hag deserves a third year at United, adding: "The experienced players haven't done enough, there have been too many injuries and I do appreciate where he is coming from. Defensively, the injuries have been huge - a huge setback.
"You still digest all that, but you look at the record, the amount of games they have lost, the goals they have conceded, the lack of goals they have scored, their position in the league, minus two or three goals, all of these things are not good to look at. But you hope he is given another chance in the summer.
"They have to go out and buy maybe four or five world-class players. They need a couple of centre-halves, a couple of strikers, someone in midfield - it's a long way back for this football club."
