Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be feeling a little more relaxed about his job security after this week’s developments.
On Tuesday evening, it was announced that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ end-of-season review had finally been concluded and that the decision would be for Ten Hag to stay. It was a surprising turn of events after reports prior to the FA Cup final suggested the Dutchman’s tenure was all but over.
Yet he will be back next season to fight another day, and a new contract is being negotiated. In our latest look at the media headlines, it appears Ten Hag’s new deal is getting closer.
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Latest on Ten Hag’s new deal
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano on Give Me Sport, United are really close to agreeing on a new contract with Ten Hag. It is believed negotiations have gone ‘very well’ and there is hope that the deal shall be announced soon.
What MEN Sport says: If this report is to be believed, either INEOS or Ten Hag have decided to concede some power in the negotiations. It is understood that Ratcliffe favours a head coach model, with the responsibility of player recruitment left in the hands of the sporting directors. Ten Hag did not want to lose his voice on transfers, so if negotiations are close to a conclusion, who has sacrificed some ground? The truth is, there has probably been compromise on both sides. It would be highly surprising, though, if INEOS had decided to move away from the head coach model.
Ten Hag makes contract demand
According to journalist Alan Nixon, Ten Hag has asked for a ‘big pay off’ to be written into his contract should United choose to part ways with him. It is believed he would want a sum of £10m to be paid should INEOS look to terminate his deal early.
What MEN Sport says: This is probably a sign of how much Ten Hag’s trust in Ratcliffe and INEOS has been damaged by the events of the last few weeks. It is clear that United’s boardroom were searching for a suitable replacement for Ten Hag and when that was not available, they chose to settle. It would be surprising if Ten Hag had not sought to be adequately compensated if that new manager was to be discovered before his deal ended. However, it will now be interesting to see how the relationship dynamic between manager and owner develops over the coming months.