Manchester United
Premier League • England
Ten Hag ‘confident’ of avoiding Man Utd sack as boss jets off amid new £200m Ratcliffe dilemma
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has jetted away on holiday and remains ‘confident’ he will still be in charge of the club for their next Premier League game, though Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s dilemma over his future will be aired during the crunch talks over the Dutchman’s future on Tuesday.
The Red Devils are dwelling down in 14th place in the Premier League after their worst start to a season in 35 years, having only taken eight points from their seven matches played so far. And with Manchester United failing to win any of their last five games across all competition, the heat is well and truly being turned up on Ten Hag.
That could well reach a crescendo on Tuesday when minority shareholder Ratcliffe meets with other guy figures such as chief executive Omar Berrada, co-chairman Joel Glazer, advisor Sir Dave Brailsford, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox to discuss both the manager’s future and where United are as a club.
And while the London-staged meeting was booked in before the season began, the fact United have started so poorly means a decision on Ten Hag’s future now remains top of the agenda.
Despite that, Ten Hag has gone away on holiday believing he still retains the club’s trust and will be in the dug-out for the Old Trafford clash against Brentford on October 19. In the words of The Sun, the 54-year-old is ‘confident’ of avoiding the sack.
However, Ratcliffe refused to offer the under-fire United manager his public support when questioned last week, while conflicting reports have revealed the dilemma he faces.
And according to ESPN’s Rob Dawson, the fact they backed him over the summer both with a new contract and to the tune of nearly £200m worth of new players could potentially spare him from the axe.
READ MORE ➡️ Journalist reveals why Man Utd ‘don’t want to sack’ Ten Hag as Ratcliffe ’embarrassment’ comes to light
Ten Hag D-day: What has Man Utd boss said? / Tuchel rumours grow louder
We understand that despite Ten Hag’s confidence, there remains a strong chance the axe could fall on the Dutchman today with our correspondent Fraser Gillan revealing in the days before the Tottenham home defeat that it was ‘only a matter of time’ before they removed him from the role and having already sounded out several leading figures.
And while talk of Ratcliffe’s embarrassment is accurate, having backed him over the summer, the decision could well be taken out of his hands with the British billionaire already admitting that the decision will be left to Ashworth and Berrada.
We also revealed in the days that followed the Tottenham loss that former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel remained their No 1 choice to take charge and a fresh update on the German has given United renewed belief that he is now ready to accept the role.
Our understanding is that Tuchel was offered the role over the summer, but turned it down, feeling both the timing was not right and that he needed a rest from the game following his recent dismissal by the Bundesliga giants.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, has not addressed his future since facing the media after Sunday’s 0-0 bore draw at Aston Villa.
However, the defiant United boss stated his belief that he still had the club’s backing, telling Sky Sports: “We always speak, every week we speak. We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through it’s a long-term process. We have come through two very tough away games.
“This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have. I think it’s the fourth clean sheet this season. You see we had a very good organisation and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team. Determined, resilient.
“We almost didn’t concede a chance, when you defend like this and get some luck, in the end, they had a big chance but it was almost the only chance I think. But the two teams were really balanced.”
Next Man Utd boss: Barca icon linked / Carrick caretaker boss theory
With speculation over Ten Hag’s future rife, it’s little surprise to see several names linked with the United hot seat.
To that end, Spanish reports on Monday claimed Ratcliffe was also keen on appointing former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez and was aiming to sweeten his potential arrival by signing one of his favourite young Blaugrana stars in the process.
Those links were followed by an ambitious link to Aston Villa boss Unai Emery – though two reasons were quickly offered as to why the Spaniard would have no interest in taking on the role.
That would likely be the case too for Xabi Alonso after an even crazier report on Sunday touted the Liverpool icon for the job – with United even said to be prepared to wait until the summer to land their man.
In that scenario, United could look towards a caretaker appointment to see them through for the rest of the season.
And while it has been reported that the obvious choice Ruud van Nistelrooy has areas of self-doubt, a new report has suggested the club could look into the return to Old Trafford of Michael Carrick, who has been impressing in his role with Middlesbrough.
How does Ten Hag compare to other managers post-Sir Alex Ferguson?
Despite the club’s current struggles and having gone five games without a defeat, Ten Hag currently boasts the second-best record of any manager since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson. Indeed, only Jose Mourinho (58.33% win per cent) betters the Dutchman’s current record of 55.20%.
In addition, both men can claim to be United’s joint most successful managers in that time, with two trophies apiece.
Ten Hag regularly points to the silverware as proof that he is a manager to get results.
But with the club down in 14th place – and also currently sat 21st of 36th in their Europa League group – the Dutchman probably has good reason to fear the axe, despite his relatively impressive record.