Man Utd chiefs ‘want Erik ten Hag to stay’ as board face sack talks | Football | Sport
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly still has backers from within the club’s hierarchy, despite widespread reports that the Dutchman was set to be sacked regardless of the result of the FA Cup final. Ten Hag led the Red Devils to an impressive 2-1 victory at Wembley over neighbours Manchester City, forcing many to reconsider whether he should be dismissed.
The Independent claim that prominent figures within the football leadership group at Old Trafford still support Ten Hag, with the FA Cup win boosting their arguments that the former Ajax boss is the right man to lead the club forward.
INEOS chiefs, led by chairman and CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are also aware that sacking Ten Hag could be an unpopular decision among the fanbase after two domestic cup trophies in his two years in charge.
Ten Hag has been compared internally to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, whose first full year in charge at the Emirates was deemed similar to his second at United – an eighth-placed finish and a cup win.
The board are set for crunch talks in the coming days concerning Ten Hag’s future, with a ‘cold and holistic’ decision aimed to be made in the same vein that INEOS aim to run the club moving forward.
However, with significant backing for Ten Hag, calls to sack the 54-year-old no longer hold the same weight they previously did before a convincing win over Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions.