There are such split opinions about Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
The Dutch manager arrived in April 2022, with huge expectations given his success at Ajax. He surpassed these in his first season, getting Manchester United the Carabao Cup, obtaining a Champions League spot and reaching an FA Cup final.
The second season? It hasn’t been as plain sailing. Amid a horrendous European exit and a somewhat disappointing Premier League campaign – for the first time in his Manchester United career, Ten Hag is being doubted by many.
This seemingly includes Sir Jim Ratcliffe – whose comments suggest that he may not be too keen on the Dutchman.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Erik ten Hag
Ratcliffe spoke earlier in the week about his plans for the future of Manchester United with Belgian newspaper De Tijd. It flirted with the idea that Erik ten Hag may not be his ideal option for the manager role at Old Trafford.
“We have to look at the organisation of the club because it is not good at the moment,” he said. “Take the head coach, for example, he must report directly to the CEO. That is no longer possible in a modern football organisation.
“We have to ensure that the right people end up in the right positions. Every person in management must be world-class. And then it is important to create a positive, supportive, friendly and high-quality environment. That culture was missing before. Only in such an environment can you get the best out of sportsmen. If successful, the results will follow automatically. That’s the plan and I believe in it.”
This has led to speculation that Ten Hag won’t be around in Manchester much longer.
Journalist thinks Erik ten Hag won’t be there next season
John Bennett spoke with former Fulham and Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly and Luke Edwards from the Telegraph on the Football Daily podcast about this.
“Do I ask the horrible question?” Bennett begins. “Will Erik ten Hag be at Manchester United next season?”
Stephen Kelly: “No.”
Luke Edwards: “No”
Edwards expanded: “Not based on his performance, but based on Ratcliffe taking over. There’s a sceptical head on both of us here. It’s unfair on him I think. It is unfair because he did really well last season.”
It would be somewhat unfair, but Ratcliffe has come into United with a purpose, and he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
If this means getting a new man at the helm, he will do that. No nonsense. Saying this, the next valid question is who would be in contention to replace him. One thing is for certain, he’ll be lined up way in advance.
This is all merely speculation at the moment, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on heading into next season.