Telegraph: Erik ten Hag expected to sign two-year Manchester United contract extension
Erik ten Hag is likely to be offered a two-year contract extension to his current deal at Manchester United.
It was decided, after a meeting on Tuesday, that Ten Hag would remain at the club following months of uncertainty over his future.
Ten Hag had grown increasingly frustrated as United’s end-of-season review stretched into a third week, fearing it would affect the transfer plans as well as his own position.
The Dutchman wanted to carry on and has agreed to talks over a new extended contract. A preliminary discussion has taken place with United, suggesting they have not reached details over the length of a deal. There is an expectation, however, it will be two more years.
Ten Hag arrived on a three-year deal in 2022 which included United holding an option to extend for a further 12 months, meaning his contract runs out on June 30, 2025. But it is set to be superseded by a deal for another two years, meaning he will have three years left to run from the end of this month.
Ten Hag was disappointed that United spoke to other managers during their review but accepted his future was in doubt and does not believe that he has been fatally undermined.
A new contract is a natural consequence of United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is effectively running the club, deciding that he wants Ten Hag to carry on. It would be awkward for the manager to go into the final 12 months of his contract, given the speculation over whether he will stay.
United held talks with Thomas Tuchel, who has decided he will take a break from football after leaving Bayern Munich, and met with representatives of Brentford manager Thomas Frank. There were also discussions over Mauricio Pochettino, who was ruled out, and Roberto de Zerbi, while Kieran McKenna chose to sign a new contract at newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
In the end, the club’s hierarchy, led by Ratcliffe, have chosen to keep Ten Hag in place and give him the opportunity to improve the club’s fortunes following the FA Cup triumph over Manchester City which has helped sway their decision.
There is an acceptance that the review took too long but the mitigation is that it was the first time they had conducted one and they wanted to give themselves time and not rush into a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction. It will be an annual process, as happens at other clubs, but is expected to be far quicker next year.
It will be fascinating to see whether there is any re-shaping of Ten Hag’s role in his new contract. The 54-year-old holds the title of manager, but Ineos would preferably have a head coach in the post to work within their structure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, when he eventually arrives from Newcastle United, and technical director Jason Wilcox, who has been integral to the review.
There is a belief that Ten Hag has had too much power at United, not least in transfer deals, although he has, understandably, argued that this has partly been because of the lack of infrastructure at the club.
John Murtough, who has left as football director, was instrumental in Ten Hag’s appointment but there were concerns whether he was up to the job of providing the necessary support. In fairness to Murtough, he could also argue that he didn’t have the necessary structure around him and there is sympathy towards him.
The £86 million paid to Ajax for Antony – a deal Ten Hag insisted upon – caused astonishment. However, he argues this was partly because United prevaricated, allowing Ajax to inflate the price, and should have been more decisive.
Although transfer funds will be made available this summer, they are expected to be limited given the amount of spending United have undertaken in the past few years. The priority will be to try and get the best out of the existing squad, while a plus for Ten Hag has been the development of young players led by Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
There is an acceptance that Ten Hag has been severely hampered by injuries – the most in the Premier League according to the club – especially in key positions such as central defence.
The review has concluded that long-terms signings such as Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount – who was injured for most of last season – have taken time to bed in and that their full benefit will be felt in the next campaign.
United will also want to see whether Ten Hag can rebuild Marcus Rashford’s confidence and what his plan is for Jadon Sancho, who was sent out on loan to Borussia Dortmund after falling out with the manager.
The key finding of the review was that Ten Hag deserves a chance to show what he is capable of within the new sporting structure that Ratcliffe and Ineos, under new chief executive Omar Berrada, who officially starts next month, are establishing.
There is no doubt that winning the FA Cup, and the impressive performance against City, was an important factor as it guaranteed European football in the Europa League. United were also aware of the fans’ reaction and factored that in.
The priority for Ten Hag, who has been on holiday with his family in Ibiza, will be to now finalise United’s transfer plans, with pre-season training starting at the beginning of July ahead of a first friendly in Norway against Rosenborg on July 15. United then embark on a tour to the United States.
