Erik ten Hag is set to stay at Manchester United with Ineos making the decision to retain the Dutchman’s services.
Manchester United keeping FA Cup winning manager Erik ten Hag, after Ineos‘ end of season review went in his favour.
According to The Athletic, Ten Hag will be staying put at Old Trafford, and is set to enter talks over a contract extension.
Here is a look at five winners from the decision to keep Ten Hag, not including the manager himself…
Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho made his debut under Ralf Rangnick but he really kicked on under Erik ten Hag, scoring his first goals in the early part of the 2022/23 season.
Over the past season, Garnacho has gone from an ‘impact substitute’ to first team starter, the only player to figure in every single matchday XI this past season.
Garnacho scored 10 goals, and even netted in the FA Cup Final, the biggest goal of his career. He is now ready to take another leap forward, and who better to do it under, than Erik ten Hag?
Kobbie Mainoo
Another 2022 FA Youth Cup winner, Kobbie Mainoo has secured his spot in Manchester United’s first team over the past few months.
Keeping Erik ten Hag at the helm gives Mainoo some consistency. He would have remained a starter regardless under a new manager, but young players need stability.
Ten Hag knows Mainoo’s strengths and can work out how to strengthen around the teenager. Another FA Cup Final scorer, the Dutchman has been huge for the midfielder’s development.
Manchester United’s under-18 ‘treble winners’
Erik ten Hag has maximised the potential so far of the two star players in United’s 2022 Youth Cup ranks. There could yet be more to come from that group.
Also on the horizon, Manchester United’s under-18s won their own ‘treble’ this past season, the northern league, the national league, and knockout cup competition.
Ethan Wheatley is part of that group who has already made his first team debut. Harry Amass, Habeeb Ogunneye and Louis Jackson have also made the bench.
At a club with an envious record of bringing through youth players, Wheatley was the 250th, more are set to follow, with Ten Hag already handing debuts to six players.
Lisandro Martinez
There is no player who quite embodies what Erik ten Hag wants from his team quite like Lisandro Martinez.
‘The Butcher’ was Ten Hag’s key player at Ajax, and the pair have a special bond, as seen in their Wembley celebrations.
Ten Hag needs Martinez to enact his preferred playing style, but the Argentine also needs a manager with full faith in him, and he has that.
A new manager would have brought uncertainty, and a risk Martinez was viewed as ‘Ten Hag’s player’. There is no need for a fresh start.
Sofyan Amrabat
Retaining Erik ten Hag as manager is good news for Sofyan Amrabat’s chances of staying at Manchester United.
Ten Hag knows Amrabat from Utrecht, and pushed to sign him last summer on loan. Amrabat did not play as frequently as he hoped, but after talks with the manager, he was re-integrated into the side late in the season, and did not let him down.
Amrabat was outstanding in the cup final and has said he is keen to stay. A decision on Ten Hag was needed first.
There are no guarantees, but the chances of United activating the clause to sign Amrabat appear to be enhanced by the manager’s stay.