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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has finally responded to INEOS previously holding talks with his potential successors before a decision was made to retain him as club boss.
United endured an extremely underwhelming and disappointing 2023/24 season that saw them finish eighth in the Premier League, their lowest-ever finish since 1989/90.
This left Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford hanging in the balance. However, the 54-year-old’s claim to remain in the United dugout was significantly aided by his masterminding of a 2-1 FA Cup final win against Manchester City at Wembley.
That result and performance against Pep Guardiola’s men saw fans fiercely rally around Ten Hag. After a long end-of-season review process, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS firm elected to afford the United manager more time.
However, at certain points, while the audit of the campaign was ongoing, United chiefs are believed to have held exploratory talks with other managers including Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Thomas Frank, Kieran McKenna and Marco Silva, just to mention a few names.
Ten Hag spoke to the media (via ESPN) and was asked about his thoughts on INEOS talking to his likely replacements.
He replied, “What I think is I want to collaborate. So togetherness, because I know when you are together you achieve more success and I am here to win. But we want to win, so I have to feel this, and when I feel this, we will win. We have good people.”
“With highly competent people, they will contribute to more success, and I don’t think it’s a negative. So regarding your question, I don’t think negatively. “If” this or “if” this. I feel positive, and I feel very aligned. They are here; we are building those relationships; and, as I said, we have to prove this point during the season and the next coming years, how strong we are.”
Ten Hag insisted that during the period of uncertainty in which no one definitively knew whether or not he would remain as United gaffer, he still kept his eye on the prize and never once lost focus.
“I was never distracted from the mission. I came here two years ago, and this group of players hadn’t won for six years any trophy. I said we are also in a mission and we are here to win and be building and that we knew before us that it will not come overnight. We have to work very hard, and we will have to deal with setbacks during that time.”
“The first season I think was very successful, with two finals. We won one; we lost one — we should have won that one — and we were third. We came far in Europe, and we played over 60 matches. Then last season, there were a lot of setbacks, that was clear. But by the end we got rewarded, because we kept believing and we won an amazing trophy and so we have a foundation.”
“I think in the summer, many positives are there with the new leadership group who will help give us a better foundation, a structure, that will help our team. We have some new coaches in, which gives us, not a better dynamic but a different dynamic — innovations, new ideas, a new dynamic, new energy — and I think then we can make progress to get to the next level.”
Ten Hag admitted that when he arrived at United in the summer of 2022, the level of the squad was not up to the level required of the 20-time English champions.
He remarked that during his tenure, the Red Devils have caught up and are now capable of competing with the best teams in England. He noted that the next challenge for the club is to win on a more consistent basis but the good news is that there is already a solid foundation in place.
Ten Hag reiterated that he is comfortable amidst the ongoing changes to the structure and his backroom staff.
“I’m very comfortable, and also at that time I felt very comfortable because I believe in myself. But of course it will help if there is very good communication, and of course it’s helpful when you feel the backing from the leadership group. That helps because then you know where you’re building to, that you do it together.”
“When you are in a very good, very strong bond, that gives you confidence, gives you belief. Also the dressing room, they will feel this, they will feel this strong belief that will bed into the dressing room and they bed it into the pitch.”
United return to action in the early hours of Sunday morning when they take on Liverpool, in their last US pre-season clash.
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