Erik ten Hag to STAY on as Man United manager and could sign contract extension

Erik ten Hag will remain as Manchester United manager, talkSPORT understands.

The Dutchman’s future at Old Trafford had been speculated for much of the 2023/24 season amid a poor Premier League campaign.

Ten Hag led Man United to FA Cup glory last month though, masterminding a surprise victory over champions and near neighbours Manchester City.

A performance review of the season and broader first-team operations was promptly carried out by the club, led by Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford.

The possibility of making a managerial change was discussed but the decision was ultimately made to stick with Ten Hag and back him to lead the team next season.

Ratcliffe, Brailsford and Ten Hag have since held constructive talks on the outcome of the review and are set to open discussions over a contract extension.

It’s understood Ten Hag winning two trophies in as many seasons as well as his work developing young players like Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo went down well with the club’s top brass.

The 54-year-old joined United in 2022 when he signed a deal until 2025 with the option of an extra year.

Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his first season and led the club to a third-place finish in the league to qualify for the Champions League.

However, the most recent campaign proved to be much more of a struggle for all given their fluctuant form.

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United were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage and their Carabao Cup defence ended with a fourth round exit.

They also succumbed to their worst ever Premier League finish with a final standing of eighth, including a goal difference of -1.

However, the amount of injuries that came this term as well as new signings needing time to bed in appears to have helped Ten Hag too.

It’s understood the club didn’t want to make a knee-jerk decision and want to give Ten Hag a chance under the club’s new sporting structure.

A number of names had been speculated to replace him should he have left United this summer.

They included Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, who have both recently left Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively.

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England boss Gareth Southgate had also been a rumoured name, as well as Brentford’s Thomas Frank and former Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

But Ten Hag will now be preparing for his third season at United, with questions over his future set to vanish.

Their FA Cup win grants them Europa League football and therefore another opportunity to win silverware under the Dutchman.