Erik ten Hag dropped a memorable line in his first ever Manchester United press conference which is coming closer to fruition.
Jose Mourinho‘s first ever press conference at Chelsea where he referred to himself as the ‘Special One’, is iconic even 20 years on.
Erik ten Hag‘s opening presser as Manchester United manager also delivered a stirring choice of phrase, which has a chance to last the passage of time, providing he is himself given the time required to back it up.
A decision on Ten Hag’s future is being awaited by United fans, with Ineos taking their time to work out whether to back the manager or start afresh.
‘An era come to an end’
Erik ten Hag took over at Manchester United in 2022, after a dysfunctional season which left Ralf Rangnick in interim charge for several months.
The newly appointed manager was asked how United could possibly compete with a Pep Guardiola led Manchester City, and a Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool.
Ten Hag insisted there would be some patience required, promising: “I admire them both, Manchester City and Liverpool. They play really fantastic football. But you will always see that an era can come to an end and I am looking forward to battle with them.”
It was the ‘an era can come to an end’ section of the quote which stood out, and Ten Hag is on his way to being proven right.
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp era is over. Over the past two seasons, Ten Hag has won more than the German, two trophies to Liverpool’s one.
Klopp announced his exit in January, and planned a dream exit. It was denied by none other than Erik ten Hag, whoknocked his Liverpool side out of the FA Cup – a trophy Manchester United went on to win.
The Liverpool boss then blamed the fallout from the defeat for ruining their Premier League title bid.
Now, Pep Guardiola’s exit is reportedly nearing, with reports emerging over his potential exit, just a day afterManchester United beat City in the FA Cup Final.
The Mail report the Manchester City boss is preparing to leave the club in summer 2025 when his contract expires.
This will be welcomely received by fans of every other Premier League club, if the Guardiola era really does come to an end next summer.
Unclear if Erik ten Hag will take advantage
One issue which remains unclear is whether Erik ten Hag’s own era is at an end. Ineos are conducting a review, and deciding whether he should stay on asManchester United manager.
The next issue, is whether Ten Hag will be able to fill the void left by Klopp and eventually Guardiola, to emerge as the Premier League’s top manager.
The jury is still out after a woeful Premier League campaign, hit by injuries, but ended with a glorious FA Cup win.
If Ten Hag stays, Manchester United expect to see major progress next season, to build momentum, especially with the spectre looming of a Guardiola exit at the end of the campaign.