Erik ten Hag, the Manchester United boss, has opened up about the tense times at the end of last season. He has revealed that communication with Ineos "decreased" and he had a "confrontational conversation" regarding his future at the club .
The Red Devils' triumph in the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City proved to be a saving grace for Ten Hag, especially after Ineos — headed up by Sir Jim Ratcliffe — had been considering other managerial options. The narrative-altering cup run also featured a dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool at the quarter-final stage.
Following the season's close, Ten Hag jetted off for a break, and after a 17-day review period, United's top brass flew out to Ibiza to reassure him of his position. It sets up a renewal of his old Eredivisie rivalry with Arne Slot , who has of course joined Liverpool.
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Speaking to AD , Ten Hag was candid about the uncertainty ahead of the final. Asked if he knew before the game what his future held, he was clear: "No. Except that I still had a year left on my contract."
He noted the change in communication dynamics, stating: "But when communication decreases at some point, you naturally feel that. It was clear: there was less communication during that period. Whereas before, it was always there and good too. I had to initiate communication more often. Even after the final."
Despite the odd situation, Ten Hag remained calm: "Of course, it's a strange situation. But I didn't panic. Why? It's a decision that wasn't in my hands. I just waited it out. You think in two scenarios at that moment: either we continue, or we don't. It's that simple, and I'm pragmatic enough to see it that way."
He concluded by acknowledging the drop in communication but chose to focus on his holiday: "The communication did fall away, yes. But I just celebrated my vacation with my loved ones and let things come to me. I have no control over that.
"They (Ineos/Ratcliffe) didn't say 'we want to continue' but we want to continue. The argument they gave was briefly, "we've looked at everything and put it all together but we think we already have the best manager".
"Then I did say, "then we need to discuss some things, about how we interact and collaborate." We had a good, honest, but also confrontational conversation about that. As it should be at the top.
"I gave my vision of the season, on the situation at United and I indicated which path we should take in my opinion. You have to be very honest with each other about that. And then it's about: do you come together or not? I also told them, 'if you think this is not the way, then we should just part ways'."
United merely triggered the one-year option in Ten Hag's contract earlier this month, rather than renegotiating new terms with the Dutchman. He will once again face Liverpool on September 1 (after a pre-season meeting early next month), and a bad result there could plausibly see pressure mount early amid this unsteady truce.
Liverpool.com says: There's no getting around it: Ratcliffe's review was a mess. It was unfair to Ten Hag, who hardly got a vote of confidence, but it also gave the Dutchman a strong hand when it came to talks over staying on.
There's still no new contract, so the "faith" in Ten Hag looks pretty ephemeral, but it sounds as though he has managed to insist on more say in certain decisions for as long as he is still at the helm. That could hold back Ratcliffe's grand visions for modernizing the club's structures behind the scenes.
Obviously , the deal for Yoro will quell any immediate worries for Manchester United fans, despite the steep price and wages. But the reality of keeping on a coach who just delivered a record low Premier League finish may soon become apparent.
This article was created with the help of AI tools.
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