Manchester United won the FA Cup on May 25th against city rivals Manchester City. Two days before the match, reports surfaced Manchester United would sack manager Erik ten Hag.
After a shocking win, Manchester United announced they’d conduct an internal review of the football club. A 16-day search for a new manager followed, while they still had a manager. And you thought the Lakers coaching search was a disaster.
Ten Hag is in line for a new extension, despite finishing eighth in the Premier League and having a minus-one goal difference.
Ten Hag is a manger of contradictions. Look no further to how his Ajax teams played—some of the most beautiful football in the 2010s. Yet despite this, ten Hag came to United and has played counter-attacking football.
Even though he’s been in charge for two years and finished third and eighth in the league, he’s also won two trophies, and been bounced in the Champions League before the knockout stage. There has been a 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace and a 4-3 win over Liverpool. This season Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United have been consistently inconsistent.
There are reasons for and there are reasons against keeping ten Hag, and ultimately time will tell if this was the right decision.
The Reasons for Keeping ten Hag
Erik ten Hag, despite the Premier League season and Champions League campaign going south, is a wanted man. Sacking ten Hag would inevitably lead to him getting another position at a top club. This would mean facing the reality for new owners that ten Hag could succeed somewhere else while his replacement might not.
Manchester United’s recruitment strategy has been…disjointed to say the least. They’ve either caved to what ten Hag wants the past two summers, buying Antony for a ridiculous amount in 2022. Or they’ve spent on young unproven talent and expected something other than young unproven talent.
If Manchester United can get a coherent transfer strategy in place, then ten Hag will have a better chance to succeed.
Developing Young Talent
Managing at Ajax gives a manager the automatic title of “youth developer.” That is because that is the Dutch club’s model. They produce the stars of tomorrow.
The thing is a lot of managers leave Ajax and that reputation leaves as soon as they get to their next club. At Ajax, it is part of the job description while at other clubs, it can be seen as something they’d like if you did, but not crucial.
At Manchester United, Erik ten Hag has brought through several young players who have been key to the side. He hasn’t just given them 15 minutes here or the occasional cup start, he’s made them key parts of the squad.
Alejandro Garnacho has emerged on the left wing for Manchester United over the past two seasons. He’s an absolute bulldog of a winger who doesn’t care if he’s just lost the ball or made a perfect cross into the box, he’ll still attack the opposition full-back. Ten Hag has been consistent in rewarding Garnacho for good play and not benching him after one bad game.
Having turned 19 in April, even midfielder Kobbie Mainoo probably didn’t think he’d have started 24 Premier League games this season. Mainoo has been put in out of necessity. However, he took his chance and ran with it. He was performing incredibly for Manchester United and earning a call-up to the England Euro squad. Ten Hag could’ve panic-bought an experienced midfielder in January, instead, he trusted youth and it paid off.
The Reasons Against Keeping ten Hag
This season was Manchester United’s worst finish in the league since the 1989-1990 season. Trophies have masked the fact that Ten Hag is no closer to ending Manchester United’s Premier League trophy drought than he was two years ago.
Although Manchester United have some great young players, they also have players who have to go. Erik ten Hag has not gotten the best out of Jadon Sancho, who was last seen playing in the Champions League Final for Borussia Dortmund. Marcus Rashford, who was stellar in ten Hag’s first season, took a massive step back this season.
Erik ten Hag wanted a winger in his first summer in charge. Manchester United spent 95 million euros on Antony. Antony has played 54 Premier League games and produced five goals and three assists. He had one more goal than you, the reader, this past season in the Premier League.
If Not Now Then When?
There is no surefire evidence that Manchester United’s squad will look drastically different than it did at the end of this past season. It is hard to sell players to Premier League clubs due to their high salaries.
This won’t be a Bayer Leverkusen scenario; within one summer, Man United can completely shift the quality of their squad.
Therefore ten Hag will be faced with similar problems he faced. A true goal-scoring threat from the number nine position. A disjointed midfield (unless Mason Mount figures it out). Finally an old, aging, and injured defense.
If ten Hag still has this open style that is fun for the neutral to watch, but terrible for the United fans, then he’ll be in trouble. Manchester United will have more games to play due to qualifying for Europe, along with a packed domestic schedule. Ten Hag has shown bad rotational skills as a manager.
If United aren’t happy with him by Christmas they could sack him. Instead of giving a manager a preseason, they’ll trust one in during the middle of a campaign which will surely mean a lost season.
What I Would Do
Manchester United are finally in a rebuild, and there’s no point in replacing a coach during this time. Liverpool, West Ham, and Chelsea will all be under new managers, The Premier League will transition with many top clubs under new managers. This aids United with their stability under ten Hag.
Plus it never felt like the players on United gave up on ten Hag last season. It seems that most of the key players liked him.
If ten Hag can get a toon out of Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford, then surely United will be on for a top-four finish.
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