Manchester United’s preparations for the FA Cup final against Manchester City have been thrown into chaos by a report claiming Erik ten Hag will be sacked as manager after the match.
Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford has been a source of sustained speculation at Old Trafford, especially since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group took control of football operations earlier this year.
The cup final against Premier League champions City, who were seeking the unprecedented feat of achieving back-to-back domestic doubles, gave United the chance to salvage a campaign in which they finished eighth, their worst finishing position in the league since 1990. And that’s precisely what they did. , winning the match 2-1 to claim a second trophy in as many seasons and secure qualification for the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League.
But it appears that even a surprise victory over Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team will not be enough to save Ten Hag, with Ratcliffe and his newly installed hierarchy heading in a new direction.
According The Guardian, “a well-placed source” at Old Trafford confirmed that Ten Hag would move on regardless of Saturday’s result at Wembley. United declined to comment on the file after being contacted by the UK newspaper.
Have Man United sacked Erik ten Hag? Latest reports, reaction after the victory in the FA Cup final
Ten Hag remained in the United role for the FA Cup final on May 25 against Manchester City at Wembley.
When asked about the speculation, the Red Devils boss said he was not aware of any suggestion that his departure had been decided, although he stressed that the day was about his players winning the trophy, not his own. future.
“I’m not talking about my future. It’s not about me, it’s about the team and winning the cup,” he told BBC Sport before the game.
After the match, Ten Hag was much more direct in his comments on the BBC. Saying he is not sure if this will be his last game in the job, the manager described United as “a disaster” when he took over two years ago, and insisted they are still “far away” from where they want to be. .
“All praise for the team. We played very well with our identity. Very strong. You have seen how we can play when we have the players on board. Some were not even fit, but the performance was very good,” he said.
“I say to you [media] this throughout the year: when the players are fit, we can play good football. “A very good performance against the best team in the world.”
Reporter: “Sir Jim…Is Erik staying?”
Mr. Jim: ?#MUFC pic.twitter.com/BRCaEuercL
—Brad Cox (@BradJCox_) May 25, 2024
Asked if this season’s criticism had been unfair, he said: “I think so. The team. Me too. It wasn’t good.”
“But we didn’t have the players. We’ve seen the same things, not always good football, definitely not, but we had to make concessions all the time, and then you can’t play the football you want to play.
“I don’t know [if my future is at United]. The only thing I’m doing is preparing my team, developing my team. This is a project for me. When I walked in, I can say it was a disaster. Now we are better. We are not where we want to be.
“Football is about winning trophies. I want to play the best football, dynamic and offensive, but in the end you have to win games and trophies. That’s the mentality we brought. This was our only chance and we did it. I’m very proud of the players and the staff.
After the match, Sir Jim Ratcliffe walked through the mixed zone, the area where players sometimes give post-match interviews, and turned to look at a journalist who asked: “Is Erik staying?” You can see the footage above.
Who will replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United?
The Guardian article also identified a shortlist of six potential candidates to succeed Ten Hag, notably Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.
Tuchel left Bayern Munich this season after surrendering the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen. An attempt by the Bayern board to reverse their decision failed to convince Tuchel to make a 180-degree turn and the former Champions League-winning Chelsea manager is understood to be interested in another opportunity to manage the Premier League.
Pochettino followed Tuchel to become another victim of Todd Boehly’s regime at Stamford Bridge and was briefly linked with the Bayern job before Burnley manager Vincent Kompany emerged as a surprise favourite.
Pochettino has been frequently talked about at United since he first came to prominence at Tottenham Hotspur and the stars could align this time in favor of the former PSG boss.
None of the other names mentioned have the same level of top-notch achievements, but Kieran McKenna He knows United well because he was one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s assistants.
Since taking over at Ipswich Town in December 2021, the 38-year-old has been a revelation. This season he led the Suffolk club back to the Premier League through a second successive promotion.
McKenna’s exploits have not gone unnoticed; He has also been linked with vacancies at Chelsea and Brighton. Former Seagulls boss Graham Potter hasn’t worked out since he was sacked by Chelsea last season, but INEOS’ admiration for the 49-year-old has long been noted.
Thomas Frank He has impressed in lifting a well-drilled Brentford team above its weight since winning promotion in 2021 and has now been included in the United conversation too.
Erik ten Hag’s record as Man United manager
If this is it for Ten Hag, it will end another familiar cycle of expectations, optimism and ultimately failure at United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
David Moyes was relieved of his duties before the end of the first season of a six-year contract. But United at least finished seventh in 2013/14, one place better than Ten Hag’s injury haul this year.
By the time Moyes’ contract was due to end in June 2019, Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho had already come and gone and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was handling things better than those two illustrious predecessors.
After finishing a distant second behind Manchester City in 2020/21, United spent big to bring in Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho before prodigal son Cristiano Ronaldo returned home. However, this came at the expense of the team harmony and cohesion Solskjaer had built and he was sacked after a November 2022 drubbing at Watford.
Manchester United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson
| Juice | Cattle | Drawn | Lost | Gain % | Honors earned | |
| David Moyes | 51 | 27 | 9 | fifteen | 52.9% | Community Shield |
| Luis van Gaal | 103 | 54 | 25 | 24 | 52.4% | FA Cup |
| Jose Mourinho | 144 | 84 | 32 | 28 | 58.3% | Europa League, League Cup, Community Shield |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 168 | 91 | 37 | 40 | 54.2% | — |
| Ralf Rangnick | 29 | eleven | 10 | 8 | 37.9% | — |
| Erik ten Hag | 113 | Sixty-five | fifteen | 31 | 57.5% | League Cup |
Ralf Rangnick’s caretaker tenure was notable because the veteran German manager spoke loudly about all of United’s problems without ever having to worry about the arduous task of solving them, certainly after the proposed consultancy role was scrapped.
To that end, Ten Hag seemed to be in control of things last season. Ronaldo was quickly porced, the Red Devils won the Carabao Cup and finished third to qualify for the Champions League. This makes this season’s collapse and another managerial failure perhaps the hardest to accept of all in the 11 years since Ferguson left the scene.
What happened to Louis van Gaal in the FA Cup final?
The most obvious parallels that can be drawn with Ten Hag are those of Van Gaal and that is not simply due to their shared nationality and Ajax heritage.
Ahead of the 2016 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, speculation was growing that former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Van Gaal would be moved on to make way for Mourinho.
So it turned out, even after United beat Palace and their manager Alan Pardew in extra time thanks to a magnificent goal from Jesse Lingard.
“The last six months at United, the circumstances were very difficult,” said Van Gaal, reflecting on his demise at Old Trafford. “That’s why the trophy I won, the FA Cup, I consider the biggest trophy of my career.”
United fans can at least hope for the same result on Saturday, but City are also familiar with this situation ahead of the FA Cup final.
Less than a year after claiming an incredible Premier League title at United’s expense, City’s popular but temperamental manager Roberto Mancini was rumored to be on the brink.
United had regained the Premier League in Ferguson’s final season and on the morning of City’s main fixture against Wigan Athletic, multiple reports claimed that Manuel Pellegrini was ready to usurp the Italian.
Once again this proved to be true, but there was no siege mentality on City’s part as they played limply and Ben Watson headed in a late goal to give the Latics a famous win.
