Erik ten Hag has extended his Manchester United contract until June 2026 in a show of support from minority owner Jim Ratcliffe. The Dutchman’s future as manager looked uncertain at the end of last season after a disappointing campaign when the club finished eighth, their worst performance in the Premier League.
United, however, went on to win the FA Cup final against Manchester City, earning a second piece of silverware in two years under Ten Hag and guaranteeing qualification for the Europa League. That resulted in the club triggering a one-year extension from his original deal that was due to run until 2025.
The extension is a vote of confidence in Ten Hag from Ratcliffe who commissioned a full analysis of United’s football department as he looked for improvements. The club spoke to potential replacements, including Thomas Tuchel, but decided to stick with Ten Hag who is looking into refreshing his backroom staff, with the former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dutch coach René Hake under consideration.
“I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together. 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,” Ten Hag said.
“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.”
Ten Hag will be further bolstered by the new football leadership team at Old Trafford. The sporting director, Dan Ashworth, started work this week after arriving from Newcastle, while the technical director, Jason Wilcox, has been in place for a number of months.
“With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football,” Ashworth said. “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.” – Guardian
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