Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says “communication broke down” with INEOS following his side’s FA Cup final victory against Manchester City, during a period of uncertainty regarding his long-term future at Old Trafford.
The Athletic revealed in June that Ten Hag would continue to lead United after the club’s end-of-season review culminated in a decision to keep the Dutchman — who has since seen his contract extended until 2026.
United finished eighth in the Premier League, their lowest position in the top flight era, and exited the Champions League at the group stage. Despite these setbacks, however, Ten Hag led the team to a 2-1 victory over City in the FA Cup final, securing back-to-back trophies after lifting the Carabao Cup in 2023.
The club had been considering potential replacements, including former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel, Roberto De Zerbi, and ex-Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino. However, after a review led by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, the decision was made to retain Ten Hag.
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Ten Hag has opened up on the “honest” conversations he had with United’s hierarchy in the period after the Wembley showdown in May, when he went on holiday to Ibiza. It was here where Ten Hag discovered he would be keeping his job.
“Yes, communication broke down (with INEOS),” he said in an interview with AD Sportwereld. “But I was just celebrating holidays with my loved ones, and I let things happen. I have no influence on that.
“Of course that is a strange state of affairs. But it’s not like I panicked. It’s a decision that was out of my hands. I just waited it out. At that moment you just think in two scenarios: either we continue or not. It’s that simple and I’m level-headed enough to look at it that way.
“They didn’t say ‘we still want to continue’, but: ‘we want to continue’. The argument they gave was in short: we have looked at everything and compared everything, but we think we already have the best manager in house. Then I said, ‘then we have to discuss a number of things about how we will interact with each other and work together’. We had a good, honest, but also confrontational conversation about this. As it should be at the top.”
Ten Hag steered United to FA Cup glory in May (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
The 2023-24 season was marred by defensive frailties, with United conceding 58 goals, the most in a league season since 1978-79. Additionally, their goal difference of minus-one was a first in 34 years. Injuries also played a significant role, affecting the team’s consistency and performance.
INEOS’ minority investment in the club, confirmed in February, has already led to changes in the club’s football operations. Omar Berrada from Manchester City has become the new chief executive, and Dan Ashworth has joined from Newcastle United as the new sporting director. Jason Wilcox has also been recruited as technical director, while Christopher Vivell has been appointed as interim director of recruitment on a temporary basis.
Ten Hag has also made changes to his staff. Former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have joined as assistant managers, with Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy leaving the club. Jelle ten Rouwelaar has also been brought in as a first-team goalkeeping coach — despite having agreed to join Ajax two months ago — while Richard Hartis, who has been United’s goalkeeping coach since 2019, has departed.
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The 54-year-old Ten Hag was questioned whether it was a risk bringing in too many Dutch coaches, but he emphasised that he has looked at their expertise more than anything else.
“If you want to get better, you have to innovate,” Ten Hag said. “Yes, we have looked closely at that (changing the staff). But when it comes to Mitchell van der Gaag, for example, with whom I have worked fantastically, things were a little different. He wanted to become a head coach again. Then that is the time to break up.
“I look at quality. This is the Premier League. Not only do you look at the absolute top when composing your group of players, this also applies to the coaches, specialists and staff members.
“In almost the entire English top management you see that managers surround themselves with international top people, often people with whom they have a relationship of trust or who they already know. It was no different at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp and now under Arne Slot. But you see it everywhere. At Manchester City, at Arsenal, at Spurs, at Aston Villa. Spaniards, Germans, Dutch, Australians, you name it.
“I started looking for people who I know are good. Loyalty is also a thing. Ruud van Nistelrooy: a fantastic, experienced coach with United DNA. We have a talented British coach in Darren Fletcher. Rene was someone with the same profile as Mitchell had: a very good and experienced, analytically strong field coach. And Jelle ten Rouwelaar has trained three Dutch internationals, including Bart Verbruggen. With his innovative training material, he is one of the great talents when it comes to modern goalkeeper training.
“They (Ajax) weren’t happy about that (Ten Rouwelaar joining), no. I understand that too, I found that unpleasant too. But I had already spoken extensively with Jelle in February and March. However, because many things were still uncertain at the time, including my own position, I could not yet make firm agreements about this. I am happy that Ajax ultimately cooperated to make this possible.”
(Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
