T he documentary of how Manchester United’s Sir Jim Ratcliffe-led season review ended with Erik ten Hag keeping his job as manager would show a forensic, painstaking process, according to a high-ranking club executive. The non in-house version might differ as it would show Ratcliffe and his advisers being minded to sack the Dutchman before a number of factors ultimately persuaded them that Ten Hag should remain in post. Ten Hag probably stopped contemplating clearing his United desk after Ratcliffe’s beauty parade of Thomas Tuchel, Kieran McKenna (who signed a lucrative new contract with Ipswich), Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank, Graham Potter, Gary O’Neil, Paulo Fonseca and Gareth Southgate as potential replacements ended with them all judged less handsome than the incumbent.
Ten Hag FA Cup final decision key to him staying on at Manchester United Read more As is his style, Ten Hag played Ratcliffe’s scrutiny of his candidacy with cool, jetting off on holiday the day after United’s FA Cup triumph against Manchester City , uttering nothing publicly. Yet that Ratcliffe, United’s 27.7% minority owner,even considered sacking Ten Hag was curious given that he met the bottom line demand of every Old Trafford manager: the delivery of glory, silverware and lifelong memories for the fans.
Not all of Ten Hag’s 22 predecessors in United’s 146-year history pulled this off. Two failures were Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who immediately preceded him, and David.
