Hours before confirmation Finally When it became clear that the threat of the bag had passed, Erik ten Hag sat at the dining table in Ibiza opposite wife Bianca, the top of a crisp white shirt unbuttoned and a glass of red wine in hand.
Perhaps he was thinking back to a month ago when many had written him off after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. According to club legends, this was the low point of his tenure.
When Michael Olise’s second goal and Crystal Palace’s fourth goal flew past Andre Onana, the final touches seemed to be being put on Ten Hag’s obituary at Manchester United.
His doubters, louder than ever, had seen enough with four games left in the season. It was over with Ten Hag, they said. Another Manchester United boss reached his expiry date within two years.
And yet, after an unexpected FA Cup final success over bitter rivals Manchester City – where they started as 8/1 underdogs – Ten Hag has miraculously clung to his job.
Mailsport looks at the five reasons why the Dutch avoided looting.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag enjoyed a glass of wine during his holiday
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) and Ineos have decided that the Dutchman will remain as United manager
1. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
The most watertight argument for the defense when it came to Ten Hag lay in his development of United’s young players.
United are a club that prides itself on home-grown talent and the Dutchman, despite being forced to turn to the youth academy due to injury problems (more on that soon), has shown confidence and willingness to give youth stars a chance. opportunity.
He has helped Kobbie Mainoo develop into a player who wants to play for England in the European Championship this summer, while Alejandro Garnacho has taken a big step forward as one of the first names on the team sheet.
Ten Hag continued to have faith in Hojlund in difficult moments, while also helping Willy Kambwala, Ethan Wheatley, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Louis Jackson and Habeeb Ogunneye to break into the first team group.
“We have a lot of good, young players,” Ten Hag said at the beginning of March.
‘We need to develop their skills, get into the team spirit and build a stronger bond with Manchester United, a real winning mentality. That is the basis for winning trophies.’
With greater restrictions on spending and Ineos keen to bring a more homegrown feel to the team looking to develop further, few candidates can provide a better showcase for youth development than Ten Hag.
Kobbie Mainoo was a shining light for United after breaking into the first team
Man United recognizes the work Ten Hag has done with Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho (right)
2. INJURY NIGHTMARE
After the win over Brighton on the final matchday of the Premier League season, Ten Hag laughed with Mail Sport when asked to reflect on his injury crisis in defence.
“A nightmare,” he called it. No team in the Premier League suffered more injuries last season and Ten Hag was often without three of his four first-choice defenders.
Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both missed extended periods of the season – the entire season in Malacia’s case – leaving United without a recognized left-back.
Lisandro Martinez, a signing from Ten Hag and United’s best centre-back, was sidelined for most of the season, while Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans all suffered intermittent injury problems.
Lisandro Martinez has suffered more injuries this season and has been seriously lacking in defense
There were more than sixty injuries that Ten Hag had to deal with, something he said he had never experienced before in his entire management career.
During the comprehensive review, Ineos accepted that it was unprecedented how extreme the injury problems were and with a plan to overhaul the medical department to prevent a recurrence, they are keen to see Ten Hag perform at full strength.
With many of his starters back in tow for the FA Cup final there was a marked difference as they defeated City.
A clean bill of health could help Ten Hag start next season with a cleaner slate with his superiors.
Mauricio Pochettino (left) and Thomas Frank (right) are said to have held talks in the week leading up to the FA Cup final, but Ineos have opted to continue with Ten Hag
Just last week, former Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel was entertained by Ratcliffe in Monaco
3. DRAWINGS PROVIDED TO ARRIVE
How long Ten Hag gets at United could depend on how well his signings perform in the future.
New long-term signings from last season, it was argued, took considerably longer than expected.
Andre Onana was appointed as the new No. 1 in place of David de Gea, but it took six months for him to find his feet – costing United the Champions League group stages with a series of high-profile mistakes – while young striker Rasmus Hojlund looked set to picking up injuries just as he was finding some rhythm.
Mason Mount became Ten Hag’s No. 1 target last summer, yet he missed most of the season due to injury; the full benefit of these signatures, it was argued, is yet to come.
‘I’m convinced he will be [a key player]’, said Ten Hag Mailsport from Mount in March.
It has been a difficult start to life at Old Trafford for Mason Mount as he has suffered injury setbacks
‘He didn’t have the chance to prove this point. But he will be a very good player for Manchester United.
‘It is a shame and disappointing for him, but also for us, when you have such a class player in the middle and you cannot play against him. He suffered injuries, as we all know.
‘He didn’t have time to get into a rhythm, but I’m sure if he is fit and he will play and get into that rhythm, he will contribute to a successful Manchester United.’
Now that the run-in period is over, Ten Hag’s hopes depend on the fluctuations in the transfer market that produce hits rather than misses.
The feel-good factor of the FA Cup and the huge support from the fans have clearly cost Ratcliffe his head
4. NEW STRUCTURE SUPPORTED FOR HELP
While it is humiliating – his bosses are actively looking for a successor – there is a feeling at Old Trafford that an entirely new structure, which United believe can become best in class, could help ease the workload at Ten Hag.
Omar Berrada will arrive as CEO in mid-July; Jason Wilcox is already in place as technical director; a deal to bring in Dan Ashworth as sporting director is underway; United are convinced they are on the cusp of a football structure that can turn their fortunes around.
It could also be that Ten Hag’s influence on transfers will be removed and that there may even be a shift to the title of ‘head coach’ instead of ‘manager’. Ratcliffe and Co.
‘Constructive’ is what the discussions between Ten Hag and Ineos said this week. Undoubtedly candid. It is up to the Dutchman to adapt to the new system that has been built around him.
With fewer responsibilities off the field, Ten Hag will – the bosses hope – be able to place more emphasis on coaching and as such achieve better results.
5. NON-INSPIRING ALTERNATIVES
While Ten Hag continued to brush aside questions about his future as the season progressed – reaffirming his commitment, vowing to ‘keep fighting’ and saying his sanity should buy him more time – Ineos held not-so-secret talks with potential replacements.
Former United coach Kieran McKenna was an attractive option before committing to stay at Ipswich.
Representatives of Brentford boss Thomas Frank held talks ahead of the FA Cup final.
Winning the FA Cup appears to have been decisive and a new structure will help him
Ratcliffe (right) will now hand Ten Hag (left) a new contract as a show of defiance
Gareth Southgate, a favorite of Sir Dave Brailsford and incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth, was unable to commit to the 2024 European Championship.
Even last week, Ratcliffe spoke to Thomas Tuchel in Monaco to hear his vision for United if he were to get the job. The German is said to be taking a break from football and United was not an option for the time being.
Mauricio Pochettino has his admirers at Ineos, but he has been busy arranging his payout to Chelsea after being sacked by the London club.
An extensive assessment that ultimately led to Ineos determining that of the available candidates, none was an obvious upgrade compared to Ten Hag.