Erik ten Hag to continue as Man United boss

Erik ten Hag will continue as the manager of Manchester United, concluding a period of uncertainty following the club’s season review.

After lengthy deliberation, the club has decided to retain the 54-year-old Dutchman.

Ten Hag faced significant pressure going into the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley, amid widespread reports that he would be sacked regardless of the outcome. Despite the speculation, Manchester United delivered an impressive performance, outplaying and outthinking City to claim the FA Cup. This raised questions about why such a high level of performance was not consistently displayed throughout the season.

United finished eighth in the Premier League, their lowest position in the Premier League era, largely attributed to an unprecedented number of injuries, with 45 separate cases recorded. Ten Hag frequently cited these injuries as a key factor in the team’s inconsistent displays.

Ten Hag took charge at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022, becoming the club’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. His predecessors include David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Prior to joining United, Ten Hag enjoyed a successful tenure at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups.

In his debut season at Manchester United, Ten Hag led the club to a third-place finish in the Premier League and guided them to the EFL Cup and FA Cup finals. He secured his first trophy as United boss in February 2023, when the Red Devils defeated Newcastle to lift the EFL Cup, but they fell to Manchester City in the FA Cup final three months later.

The 2023-24 season proved more challenging. United exited the Champions League early, finishing bottom of their group. They started the season poorly, suffering six defeats in their opening 10 games, including losses to Galatasaray and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Despite their FA Cup final triumph, the team struggled in the latter part of the season, winning only five of their final twelve matches across all competitions.

As Ten Hag looks ahead to the 2024-25 season, he must prove to the United faithful that the FA Cup victory was not a one-off and demonstrate that he can bring sustained success to the club.