When news landed on Tuesday night that Erik ten Hag would be staying on as Manchester United manager, it is safe to say not all will have been impressed.
Many supporters were glad to see Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos stick by the Dutchman after a four-hour summit with him while he holidayed in Ibiza.
But for others, such as Jadon Sancho or Casemiro, sticking by Ten Hag is far from ideal for their own futures at Manchester United.
It is, however, brilliant news for United’s academy stars and no doubt a handful of those will be looking to be the next off the production line heading into 2024-25.
Mail Sport picks out the winners and losers of Ten Hag remaining as Manchester United manager…
WINNERS
Click here to resize this module
Shortly after he arrived to take over at Manchester United, Ten Hag was asking his coaching peers about a young kid in the academy that was going by the name of Kobbie Mainoo.
‘I think very quickly I saw him,’ Ten Hag said previously. ‘I think last autumn I saw him for the first time and at that moment I thought he was playing a little bit too comfortable in the Under-21s, he should be much more dominant.
‘We pushed him a lot by that side, by pushing him in training and you see he makes such good progress and he is almost progressing from game to game.
‘And of course, it’s wonderful to see and I hope he stays calm like he is, as he did with his goal as well. He is determined, he is a good character and I hope he keeps going with this progress.’
Mainoo has soared with Ten Hag’s belief in his sails and so much so that he cracked England’s squad for Euro 2024.
The teenager is one of the first names on the team-sheet under the Dutchman and him staying is a big boost to one of the brightest talents in Europe.
ALEJANDRO GARNACHO
Another big winner of Ten Hag’s youth revolution at Old Trafford.
Garnacho broke through prior to the Dutchman’s arrival but he has established himself as one of the most exciting wingers in the league under his watch.
Unlike Mainoo, it has been a slightly rockier road but Garnacho has a real ally in Ten Hag and just before X, formerly Twitter, removed the ability to publicly see ‘liked’ posts, United fans were quick to spot Garnacho’s delight at Ten Hag staying in post.
Garnacho was spotted liking a post from online personality Beth Tucker which read: ‘MY MANAGER!’ alongside an image of Ten Hag with the FA Cup. ‘Can’t explain how happy I am. Thank you INEOS.’
The Argentine’s development, along with Mainoo’s rise, was one of the reasons cited by Ineos in their end-of-season review with Ten Hag as to why he should stay.
Garnacho scored 10 times and assisted five times in all competitions last season and while he was over-used and appeared tired in the closing weeks, he has a manager behind him who will continue to push him to even greater heights.
COACHING STAFF
Click here to resize this module
Not only would Ten Hag have been shown the door had Ineos decided so, so would his coaching staff.
And so news that he will be sticking around comes as a major boost for coaches such as Benni McCarthy, and assistant Mitchell van der Gaag.
McCarthy – who is currently on a deal which expires in June – recently expressed his doubts over whether he would continue at United with little clarity then over Ten Hag’s position.
He joined United with the Dutchman in 2022 and won plaudits for helping coax a 30-goal campaign out of Marcus Rashford in the coach’s first year at the club.
Others describe him a positive piece around the training ground and a good bridge between players and the manager, so expect Ten Hag to push for a new deal.
Meanwhile, Van der Gaag, while he has been viewed as prickly in some quarters, is a trusted sidekick to Ten Hag and is unlikely to be going anywhere now the managerial position has been clarified.
MASON MOUNT
After a nightmare first season which has been beset by injury problems, Mason Mount is likely to have found himself a relieved man at news Ten Hag is staying.
Click here to resize this module
Ten Hag made Mount his No 1 transfer target a year ago as he believes the Englishman can help transform the way his midfield group operates.
A new manager may have had his own opinions on Mount but Ten Hag remains a big fan and is eager to help the player showcase his talents once he has a clean bill of health.
‘I’m convinced he will be [a key player],’ Ten Hag told Mail Sport of Mount back in March.
‘He didn’t have the chance to prove this point. But he will be a very good player for Manchester United.
‘It’s been really unfortunate and disappointing for him but also for us when you have such a class player in the middle and you can’t play him. He has had injuries as we all know.
‘He didn’t have any time to come into a rhythm but I am sure that when he is fit and he will play and get into that rhythm he will contribute to a successful Manchester United I’m sure.’
Quite how he fits into the side with Bruno Fernandes at the top of his game remains to be seen but Ten Hag staying is a blessing, not a curse, for Mount.
LOSERS
JADON SANCHO
The most obvious loser here.
Jadon Sancho was sent packing to Borussia Dortmund on loan after he essentially called Ten Hag a liar on social media following a row over his efforts in training.
As speculation intensified that Ten Hag was facing the sack it was posed that Sancho may be able to get a fresh start at United under a new manager.
Now that is no longer a possibility and Ten Hag will remain in position, there is no desire on either side for Sancho to give things another go in Manchester.
Juventus hold an interest in the £73m winger as United prepare to cut their losses this summer with a cut-price deal.
Sancho is likely to be available for a knockdown price of around £40m following his season on loan with Dortmund, who themselves would be keen to keep him after he helped them reach the Champions League final.
The issue Dortmund have is cash and while they want the 24-year-old, the chances of a permanent deal are said to be ‘slim’ due to their current transfer budget and other priority targets.
United have issues of their own on the right wing but Sancho most definitely won’t be the solution with Ten Hag in charge.
CASEMIRO
This is a curious one.
Left out of the FA Cup final, Goal reported that Casemiro was hurt by Ten Hag’s decision and his hasty exit from the post-match party for a family holiday did little to quell the gossip.
Links to Saudi Arabia only strengthen the idea that Ten Hag and United could well move on into next season without the Brazilian.
It is no secret that United are seeking another body in midfielder and with the number of displays where Casemiro looked off the pace, he could well prove to be the fall guy for a new era led by Ineos.
MARCUS RASHFORD
Click here to resize this module
It really could go either way with Rashford and Manchester United.
Ten Hag is understood to have been frustrated by the Englishman this season, a shadow of the 30-goal striker that dominated in the Dutchman’s first season in charge.
Garnacho has become the go-to winger and Rashford has become an easy target on social media – a platform he has stepped away from over the summer to escape the noise having missed out on England’s Euros squad.
Despite his huge £315,000-a-week deal, United will listen to offers for homegrown players such as Rashford as he and others would generate 100 per cent profit on the FFP balance sheet.
With his relationship to Ten Hag described as ‘strained’ – Rashford felt Ten Hag was to blame by asking him to play deeper to compensate for the problems at left back during the season – it is fascinating how the pair will move forward.
Mail Sport previously reported that Rashford’s decision to move to the same PR firm that represents three other players who fell out with the manager – Cristiano Ronaldo, Sancho and Raphael Varane – didn’t go down well either.
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
Another midfielder who doesn’t look to have much left in the tank.
Whether Eriksen would have been given a fresh start at United under a new manager remains to be seen but, for example, had his former Brentford boss Thomas Frank got the job it surely wouldn’t have harmed his case.
Eriksen has not been subtle in revealing his frustrations at his limited role under Ten Hag last season.
The Dane signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 but the emergence of Mainoo has drastically limited his minutes.
‘I have had a conversation with Erik to say that I am of course dissatisfied with the situation and that I would like to play as much as possible,’ Eriksen told Danish media last season.
‘But also that I am available and must be available for the team, which I am and always will be.’
With a year left on his deal, it would be no surprise to see Eriksen looking for a new challenge elsewhere once the Euros are over.