Erik Ten Hag: Why He Must Get It Right Quickly at Manchester United
On the morning of July 4th, the official Manchester United Twitter/X account posted a link to an article on head coach Erik Ten Hag signing a contract extension. The post carried a photo of the Dutch manager and three simple words: “Here to stay.”. It was, of course, expected. We won’t go over all the recent history of Ten Hag’s tenure at Old Trafford, but it’s enough to say that after a good first season, United had a terrible second season, and Ten Hag was almost fired: until United somehow won the 2024 FA Cup.
✍️ Here to stay.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 4, 2024
The aftermath of the FA Cup was interesting. Fans, many of whom had previously called for Ten Hag’s head, rallied to the Dutchman’s cause. One of the reasons for this was not the trophy in and of itself, but because Ten Hag outsmarted Pep Guardiola and Man City tactically. It was no fluke victory against the side that many still consider the best in the world. INEOS, which has taken over management of the club, conducted a review of the club, flirting with bringing the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Kieran McKenna. But word came that Ten Hag would stay, hence that July 4th proclamation of a contract extension.
Ten Hag must get it right quickly
All of this sounds great for Ten Hag, but it’s worth noting that the contract extension is just that – an additional year on top of the deal he already had. It is not a new contract, and it is certainly not a cast iron guarantee that he will stay until June 2026, when the extension ends. You can be sure of one thing: If Manchester United are not performing by the winter, and the measure of that performance will likely be judged as being in the Top 4 in the Premier League, the extension will mean nothing at all.
The big question is where United is, i.e., was last season an anomaly, or is the team just mediocre? Was that exhilarating FA Cup Final performance the ‘real’ United, or was that itself a 90-minute anomaly? The truth is it’s probably somewhere between the two. Sportsbooks have put United somewhere around +2500 (the biggest ever preseason odds for United) to win the Premier League and about +200 to finish in the Top 4 and secure a Champions League berth. But sports betting odds can change, and we’d argue that United’s were the most difficult to set in the first place.
Injured players will boost the team
We can’t forget that United had serious problems with injuries last season. Key players, such as Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, missed long periods of the season. At one point, six center-backs were injured, forcing the likes of Casemiro to play in defense. It’s not a coincidence that Martinez’s return in time for the FA Cup Final coincided with United’s best performance of the season. An injury-free season ahead for Martinez will do wonders for shoring up a leaky defense. Shaw, too, will have a welcome return at left-back.
Transfers activity will heat up in the coming weeks, and the consensus is that United will be adding an elite center-back, a center midfielder (to take the reins from the aging Casemiro), and another striker. Other positions will require more minor surgery. The aforementioned INEOS is implementing a structure, including hiring Jason Wilcox to oversee player recruitment, to address United’s haphazard transfer policy. Importantly, Ten Hag will have a veto over player arrivals.
What all of this is pointing to is a situation where United will have a clean bill of health, welcoming back key players who missed most of last season. The team will be boosted by new arrivals in central positions, and the club is pushing to sell players that, for various reasons, did not fit with Ten Hag’s plans, such as Jadon Sancho. In short, there will be no excuses. The team must perform.
Most fans will be happy with the perception that the team is going somewhere. United have played without an identity for several years, preceding the Ten Hag era. The team does not need to win the Premier League next season, but Ten Hag must demonstrate that he is building a team that ‘could’ win it in the coming seasons. If he does not do that within 20-30 games, then that extension will be cut short.