Manchester United fans all agreed on one observation behind Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to hand Erik ten Hag a new contract at the Premier League club.
Erik ten Hag’s future was plunged into doubt after Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe captured a minority stake in Manchester United in 2023.
The Dutchman oversaw a mixed second season at Old Trafford, with United languishing in eighth place in the Premier League table.
However, Ten Hag was able to avenge his 2023 FA Cup final defeat in May after United sealed a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Wembley.
Despite Ten Hag’s FA Cup triumph, Ineos launched an end-of-season review at Old Trafford and the former Ajax boss’ future was cast in doubt.
Ten Hag was out of contract in 2025 on his old deal and the Red Devils have been linked with several managers in recent months, including Thomas Tuchel.
The United boss admitted that he had been informed that the Red Devils had spoken with former Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of retaining his services.
Talks over a new deal at United began between Ten Hag’s camp and Ineos after the Red Devils completed their end-of-season review.
Ten Hag signs new Man Utd contract
Manchester United on Thursday confirmed that Erik ten Hag had agreed to a new contract extension ahead of the pre-season tour this summer.
Ten Hag’s deal with the Red Devils will now run until June 2026, with new United sporting director Dan Ashworth throwing his support behind the Dutchman.
“With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football,” he said, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.
“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently.
“With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”
Man Utd fans react to Ineos’ Ten Hag decision
United fans on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, welcomed the decision to support Ten Hag and Ineos’ decision to retain his services.
However, eagle-eyed Red Devils supporters pointed out that the United boss had only received a one-year extension rather than being offered a long-term deal.
Some fans accused Ineos of not having “much faith” in Ten Hag and are convinced the Dutchman is still on trial in the eyes of United’s co-owners.
One fan argued: “Ten Hag’s contract was up in 2025, so he’s only signed a year extension? So clear we’re going to replace him when Ineos’ preferred replacement becomes available.”
Another added: “So, Ineos [has] basically triggered that additional year, which was part of the original deal when Ten Hag first came in… Hmmm.”
“Not much faith then in Ten Hag from Ineos [with] only [a] one-year [deal] and [he] already had that option,” a third commented.
Someone else suggested: “Ineos and Ratcliffe clearly do not have enough confidence in Ten Hag. His contract has only been extended by one year, FFS. I fear for the guy. If it doesn’t go well, he will be gone by Christmas.”
While a fifth tweeted: “[A] one-year extension isn’t bad at all and clearly the best option for Ineos in terms of payouts. This next year is a make-or-break year for Ten Hag regardless, so if he does well, I can imagine they will offer him a longer contract at the end of [the] season. If he can’t deliver, they sack him.”
“Ten Hag only signed a one-year extension? LOL, Ineos don’t rate that brother,” another said.
And a seventh fan claimed: “Ineos clearly wanted to get rid of Ten Hag… that FA Cup win [and the] lack of any real viable option in the market forced them to stick with him. They clearly don’t trust him blindly to just give him a five-year new contract. So, they basically decided to trigger than extension. Smart.”
