Erik ten Hag’s remarkable FA Cup win over Manchester City means his United bosses will have to hand him an increased pay-off should they choose to sack him this summer
Manchester United will have to pay more in compensation to Erik ten Hag if they sack him following their FA Cup triumph.
United are still conducting a season review, which will determine Ten Hag’s fate, nearly a fortnight after their shock Wembley win over local rivals Manchester City. With United finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, their lowest position for 34 years, they missed out completely on securing a European place.
That failure to qualify for Europe meant Ten Hag was facing a 25 per cent cut to his £9million-a-year salary, which would have dropped £2.25m to £6.75m. But United’s stunning 2-1 victory over City booked them a place in next season’s Europe League and meant Ten Hag did not see his salary slashed by a quarter, under the terms of his contract.
Ten Hag’s contract, like those of many of United’s players, is heavily incentivised, meaning his salary is adjusted according to whether he guides the team to the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League or no European competition at all.
Having secured a Europa League place after all, any compensation United pay to Ten Hag in the event of his dismissal will now be closer to his £9m-a-year salary, than it would have been if they had lost to Pep Guardiola’s side. United sources have indicated the season review, conducted by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his football operations team, remains ongoing and there is no firm timescale in terms of its anticipated completion.
Ten Hag is two years into a three-year contract and the FA Cup triumph is his second trophy in as many years in charge of United, following last season’s League Cup success, which ended the club’s six-year wait for silverware. The 54-year-old Dutchman, whose second season at United was sabotaged by a succession of injuries to key players throughout the campaign, remains on holiday and has yet to be informed of his fate.
United return for pre-season training in a month’s time, with their first pre-season game against Norwegian side Rosenborg in Trondheim on July 15. Those linked with the United job should Ten Hag be sacked include England boss Gareth Southgate, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, both of whom are free agents after leaving Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.