Man United's Erik ten Hag awaits hammer

Nothing is left for Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, after three years he cound not raise the club from their state. Indeed, results on tge pitch have been haphazard, unbalanced and unpredictable, whether in the English Premier League or on the European continent.

Erik Ten Hag eportedly made three demands before agreeing to a one-year contract extension with the club this summer and the club has fulfilled these conditions largely.

The Dutch manager faced criticism last season after the team finished eighth in the table, United’s worst-ever finish in the Premier League. However, after lifting the FA Cup, the United board, including new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, decided to keep Ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout, with the manager signing a one-year extension until 2026.

However, Ten Hag reportedly laid out his own terms before putting pen to paper. The Sun claimed that the former Ajax boss demanded Jadon Sancho remain sidelined until he apologised, that Benni McCarthy be given a contract extension, and that the club’s hierarchy refrain from interfering with his style of play. Now that the season is underway and the transfer window has closed, here’s how many of the manager’s demands have been met.

Jadon Sancho’s apology

Sancho initially clashed with Ten Hag after being left out of the squad for United’s defeat to Arsenal in September 2023. Ten Hag claimed that the winger was absent due to his performance levels in training, but the 24-year-old publicly disagreed with his manager on social media.

This led to a falling out and Sancho was eventually loaned out to Borussia Dortmund In January, returning to the club that nurtured him into the talent that persuaded United to part with £73million in 2021. While he was expected to join the club again permanently, Sancho sealed a surprise loan switch to Chelsea on deadline day and has settled in quickly at Stamford Bridge, registering two assists.

Ten Hag had looked forward to reintegrating Sancho at United following his return this summer, telling The Athletic in July: “We’ve drawn the line. Manchester United need good players, and Jadon is a good player. We have drawn that line, and we move on.” Yet, the relationship was seemingly too fractured and the forward found a new home away from United.

Premier League icon McCarthy joined Ten Hag’s backroom team in the same year as the United boss, initially signing a two-year contract. Ten Hag was keen to retain his services this summer but, contrary to expectations, McCarthy left the club after his contract was allowed to expire.

The 46-year-old offered some insight into the situation during an interview with CNN: “I think that the passion for wanting to be a head coach again brewed through. And I think that is the next step for me,” the former Blackburn Rovers striker explained. McCarthy’s revelation suggests ambitions likely influenced his departure from the Red Devils’ ranks.

“With the knowledge that I’ve gained, it would be amazing to manage a team on the continent [in Africa] and then try to make them reach a final when you play in the Club World Cup. That would be the aim to do that or even the MLS, that interests me a lot.”

This revelation shows that it was likely McCarthy’s growing desire to become a manager influenced his decision to leave the club. Despite McCarthy’s departure, United have not felt his absence overly due to new coaches Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake stepping in.

Playing style

The third objective in Ten Hag’s list of demands to sign a new contract was his stance on protecting his style of play. Despite a disappointing campaign last term, Ten Hag was unwilling to allow the new United hierarchy to dictate the team’s approach to games.

In the aftermath of United’s 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool, opposition boss Arne Slot suggested United’s tactics had largely remained the same, though did note that the team pressed higher to win the ball back.