Is Ten Hag in trouble as Ratcliffe gets started at Man United?،
From Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview to the public spat with Jadon Sancho, Erik ten Hag's 18 months in charge of Manchester United have been filled with challenges. He was presented with another in the form of a new minority shareholder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and chief executive of Ineos. If the Dutchman wants to extend his stay at Old Trafford, he must convince the British billionaire that he remains the ideal man for the job.
Not long ago, with the first offers to buy United lodged in February, supporters were demanding that potential owners formally commit to keeping Ten Hag as manager. “Everyone can see the progress the team has made under the leadership of Erik Ten Hag,” reads the final point of a statement released by the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST). “After the frustrations of the last decade, it is clear that huge progress is being made. Any potential candidate must explicitly commit to supporting Erik and his plans to restore United to greatness.”
But that was more than 10 months ago, at a time when United were winning games and fighting for trophies. On the other hand, the 2023-24 campaign started with 14 defeats in 28 matches. When MUST released a statement in response to the Christmas Eve announcement of Ratcliffe's agreement to buy a 25% stake, there was no mention of Ten Hag, 53, or their previous request to keep him in this position.
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Fan support for Ten Hag has waned since February, when United knocked Barcelona out of the Europa League and won their first trophy in six years by beating Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final. Given the move from a position of strength to their current decline, a growing chorus is openly advocating change following an early exit from Europe, as well as humiliating defeats to West Ham and Nottingham Forest at Christmas.
Taking control of all football operations as part of his $1.3 billion deal with the Glazer family, Ratcliffe is set to delegate day-to-day duties to Ineos confidants Sir Dave Brailsford, director of sport of Ineos, and Jean-Claude Blanc, former CEO. of Juventus. Like their supporters, their confidence in Ten Hag would have diminished during the negotiations with the Glazers. Initially seen as optimistic about the former Ajax boss in October, when Ratcliffe and Ineos moved into pole position following Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's withdrawal from the bidding process, rumors from the new co-owners are not as categorical.
Since a three-game winning streak against Brentford, Sheffield United and FC Copenhagen in October, Ten Hag have managed just five wins in 15 games. Since the start of December, it's five defeats out of eight, and this dramatic drop in form comes at the wrong time for Ten Hag, who will meet Ratcliffe and his team for the first time at Carrington on Wednesday in a weak position. .
Brailsford and White want to revamp the football team, and Ten Hag – already facing the challenge of adapting to a new way of working, with new bosses – will struggle to show strength with his own demands when his team will be eighth in the ranking. the Premier League standings.
Sources told ESPN that Ten Hag was reluctant to give up any power in the new structure, including its major role in identifying transfer targets. Under the terms of his contract, he has a veto over all transfer decisions, but his influence has extended beyond that, leading United to sign a number of his former players or those with links to the Countries. -Down.
There are particular questions about Antony, a player who Ten Hag insisted on after working with him at Ajax from 2020-22, but who has since done little to justify the huge transfer fee from £85 million. A mediocre player signed for big money and done on a long deal on huge salaries is exactly the sort of thing Ineos wants to avoid.
Ten Hag doesn't have to look far to see the tensions that can exist in a working relationship between a new owner and an inherited manager resistant to change. 2021 Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel was fired by Chelsea in September 2022 after working with new owner Todd Boehly for just 100 days. Tuchel viewed Boehly's demand for more engagement with club bosses as unnecessary interference, while there were also disagreements over the potential signing of Ronaldo and the organization of a grueling summer tour.
Boehly took charge at Stamford Bridge in May 2022 and Tuchel was sacked just seven games into the new season.
Sources have told ESPN that Ineos' preference is to keep Ten Hag on at least until the end of the season, although it is accepted that poorer results could force it to act sooner. Graham Potter, who was approached by Ineos to take over as manager of his French club OGC Nice this summer, was informally asked about his plans for the future, and Blanc was inundated with calls from agents pushing the demands of their clients.
Ratcliffe's participation should be officially ratified by the authorities in early February; his team, led by Brailsford and White, will use this interim period to learn more about how United operate and develop a plan to take the club forward after a decade of failure on the pitch.
Speaking at his first press conference after Ratcliffe's deal was announced, Ten Hag said the news was “positive” and that he “wants to work with” the Ineos team. But the more pressing question is whether, in the long term, they want to work with him.
