Ten Hag signs new Man Utd contract with alarming hidden twist, as FOUR huge signings now take centre stage

Manchester United have announced Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension, though one hidden aspect of the deal may cause alarm, and attention will now shift to completing four huge signings.

The Dutchman, 54, came under serious sack pressure in the latter stages of the season and the two-week period that followed.

Man Utd did explore replacing Ten Hag and held talks with numerous managerial candidates including Thomas Tuchel.

Ultimately, the decision was made to stick with Ten Hag who guided the Red Devils to their second trophy in two seasons in his final match of the campaign when lifting the FA Cup.

Talks over signing a contract extension quickly took place. Ten Hag’s existing deal was due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Now, Man Utd have officially confirmed Ten Hag has signed an extension, though the terms of the deal appear to suggest the club still aren’t fully convinced by the Dutchman.

Ten Hag’s new deal has added just one year onto his agreement, meaning his deal will now expire in 2026.

Furthermore, the Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed Ten Hag has not received a pay rise as part of the agreement. The extra year tacked on is a bare bones extension and nothing more.

Nonetheless, Ten Hag will be confident of proving the doubters he still has at Old Trafford wrong and the United boss revealed his delight at securing his future for one more year.

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Ten Hag, Ashworth respond to new deal

“I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together,” said Ten Hag.

“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.

“However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”

New sporting director Dan Ashworth said: “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.

“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently.

“With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”

With Ten Hag’s future no longer a hot topic, Man Utd’s attention can fully turn to the summer window where four significant signings are on the agenda.

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Man Utd targeting four big signings

The Red Devils hope to sign two new centre-halves, a central midfielder and a striker.

United have already agreed personal terms with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite. Their opening bid of £43m (including add-ons) was rejected, with the Toffees holding out for closer to £70m.

Man Utd are expected to raise the stakes for Branthwaite, though have insisted they won’t overpay.

Matthijs De Ligt’s arrival could be finalised before Branthwaite and the Dutch international is giving preference to signing with Man Utd ahead of PSG.

Bayern Munich have greenlit a sale and hope to collect €50m plus add-ons through a sale. Direct club-to-club talks over the transfer fee have taken place.

Elsewhere, PSG’s Manuel Ugarte is also receptive to joining Man Utd and the French giants will cash in to the tune of €60m.

Finally, Man Utd intend to trigger the €40m release clause in the contract of Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee.

The 23-year-old is also being courted by AC Milan, though they are unwilling to meet the high demands of agent Kia Joorabchian with regards to the commission for overseeing the deal.

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