As harsh as it may sound, there is a slight ‘marriage of convenience’ vibe about Manchester United and Erik ten Hag’s continuing relationship.
Ineos has decided that, rather than head for an early divorce, the Dutchman and the Red Devils would instead attempt to re-kindle the flame that burned brightly yet briefly early on in his tenure, in the hope that May’s FA Cup final triumph over Man City is more than a fleeting night of passion.
It was certainly a decision made a little easier by the lack of eye-catching bachelors capable of taking Erik ten Hag‘s place. Ineos, The Athletic say, held talks with numerous managerial targets and considered countless others.
There wereface-to-face discussions between Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Thomas Tuchel in Monaco before the decision was made that this wasn’t the right fit. Interest in Mauricio Pochettino – long linked with Manchester United and sacked by Chelsea in a move that apepared to have the stars aligning – eventually cooled.
Thiago Motta, Ruben Amorim and Thomas Frank were considered too but could any really be considered an obvious upgrade on Ten Hag, the only manager post-Sir Alex Ferguson to win trophies in successive campaigns? Ditto Roberto de Zerbi, his reputation not quite what it was after a run of two wins in 13 games to end the 2024/25 Premier League season.
The Athletic say that United, having done their due diligence on De Zerbi, decided that he was not the right man either.
Erik ten Hag is staying at Manchester United
Interestingly, the report throws up two more names which had not been mentioned in the media until now.
It is no secret that England boss Gareth Southgate has admirers at Ineos. Particularly Dan Ashworth, the incoming technical director who described Southgate as the ‘oustanding candidate’ to take over the Three Lions when working for the FA nearly a decade ago.
Another manager heading to this summer’s European Championships was considered too, however, The Athletic claim that Portugal boss Roberto Martinez made the early shortlist.
Formerly of Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton, Martinez has been out of the club game since leaving Goodison Park in 2016.
His Premier League experience and his penchant for attractive, possession-heavy football is likely to have appealed to Omar Berrada and co. Not to mention his relationship with Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes, the Man United duo key figures in his Portugal squad.
Fulham’s Marco Silva held talks over Old Trafford move
Perhaps even more intriguingly, it is claimed the United chiefs met up with Fulham boss Marco Silva two days before Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo left Pep Guardiola tearing any remaining hairs out of his scalp at Wembley.
One of the more underrated tacticians in European football, Silva has bounced back from a difficult spell at Everton at Fulham. His Cottagers side defeated Man United at Old Trafford in the spring, and stayed well clear of the relegation zone despite losing talismanic top scorer Aleksandr Mitrovic to the billionaire’s playground that is Saudi Arabia in the summer.
The Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan, meanwhile, claims that the fan support for Ten Hag was a factor in Ineos’ eventual decision to hand him the reigns again.
“On Ten Hag; United review included lengthy discussions with him. They came to the conclusion that he was the best man for the job, despite talks with others,” Keegan writes on X. “A new contract is expected to follow. FA Cup Final victory clearly huge
“Do not underestimate the role of fan opinion in this. Decision makers (were) well aware of large numbers of United supporters who wanted Ten Hag to stay.”