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Erik ten Hag’s contract extension at Manchester United is not the vote of confidence that many thought.
It was widely reported that new part-owners Ineos had considered terminating Ten Hag’s employment after a poor season.
However, having interviewed several candidates for the role, they decided to keep faith in the Dutchman and it was then reported that he would be offered a new deal at the club.
That new deal seemed to have come to fruition this morning as the club announced “Erik ten Hag has extended his contract as Manchester United men’s first-team manager until June 2026.”
There was even a quote from Ten Hag, who said “I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together.”
However, according to ESPN’s Rob Dawson, United have not, in fact, renegotiated the manager’s contract at all.
Dawson says: “Man United have triggered the existing +1 option in Ten Hag’s contract rather than negotiating altogether fresh terms. Keeps his title and his transfer veto, which was part of the agreement when he moved from Ajax.”
Man United have triggered the existing +1 option in Ten Hag’s contract rather than negotiating altogether fresh terms. Keeps his title and his transfer veto, which was part of the agreement when he moved from Ajax.
— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonESPN) July 4, 2024
This is a very significant difference to the new deal that was reported to be being negotiated.
In that theoretical new deal, Ten Hag was said to be asking for an extra two years, to run to 2027, and also for the power to decide on his coaching staff.
For Ineos’s part, reports suggested they wanted a break clause in the agreement, to remove Ten Hag’s power of veto over transfers and to potentially change his job title from “manager” to “head coach”.
None of this will now come to pass and instead his existing deal will run its full course, with automatic extension, until 2026.
Whether Ten Hag or his superiors will make the decisions about hiring and firing coaching staff is unclear. The sense is that this probably rests with Ineos, with no power of veto, but this remains to be confirmed.
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