Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Ten Hag sack: Three signs suggest huge Man Utd U-turn imminent amid Ratcliffe investigation

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag, part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag and part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe

The chances of Erik ten Hag remaining as Manchester United manager next season appear to be growing, with a report detailing what Sir Jim Ratcliffe thinks of the Dutchman.

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Ten Hag’s future in the last six months. Pressure on Ten Hag was ramped up after Man Utd were knocked out of the Champions League and League Cup, vastly reducing the club’s chances of winning a trophy this season.

The 54-year-old is also waiting to discover whether he will come out on the right side of an investigation into Man Utd by new club chiefs Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford.

The INEOS pair are looking into every aspect of Man Utd to see which areas need to be improved as a priority.

Man Utd’s dramatic late win over rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday has given Ten Hag a good opportunity to win silverware after all, while also increasing the likelihood of him staying at Old Trafford next season.

However, reports have indicated that Ratcliffe and Man Utd will sack Ten Hag regardless, while the links with England boss Gareth Southgate are only intensifying.

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The Guardian have now provided their take on the Man Utd manager situation. They state that despite the intense sack rumours, Ten Hag will definitely remain in his job until the end of the campaign, at the very least.

There are also three crucial signs that the former Ajax boss will be part of the new era under Ratcliffe. The first is that Ratcliffe has been deeply ‘impressed’ with how Ten Hag has handled the rumours about his future, the off-field issues such as the takeover negotiations and the injuries to some vital players.

Ratcliffe, Ten Hag discussing Man Utd transfer plans

Ratcliffe and Ten Hag have also spoken about which stars they want to keep this summer, as well as which players they hope to sell.

The third reason Ten Hag looks set to stay in his role is that he has discussed a variety of potential new signings with Ratcliffe. If the British billionaire were definitely planning to make a change, there is no way he would be entertaining such transfer talks with a coach who is coming to the end of his spell.

The report also gives an update on Southgate potentially swapping England for the Red Devils. While Southgate is ‘admired’ by Ratcliffe and Brailsford, he is joined by ‘many’ other managers in this category, rather than being the frontrunner at this moment in time.

If Man Utd enjoy a strong end to the season, such as by winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the 2024-25 Champions League, then Ten Hag will give himself the best chance of remaining as the club’s manager.

Of course, those feats will be hard to pull off, but the manner of the victory over Liverpool has given everyone involved with Man Utd hope.

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