Erik ten Hag: Manchester United boss offered to ‘part ways’ after ‘confrontational’ talks about future
By Ben Southby
Published 19/07/2024 at 19:05 GMT+1
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has opened up on a"confrontational conversation" with the club's board over his future and the direction of the team. Ten Hag has been given an extended contract despite a turbulent 2023/24 campaign and has revealed the discussions between himself and the club's hierarchy. "I told them: ‘If you think this is not the way, then we should just part ways.’”
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Video credit: SNTV
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed a “confrontational conversation” with the club’s hierarchy before a decision was made over his future, where he suggested that they should “part ways” if an agreement could not be made.
Speaking to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD), Ten Hag lifted the lid on talks with club officials which took place last month, to discuss his future and the direction of the team.
Following Jim Ratcliffe's minority takeover of United, numerous managers were reportedly lined up to replace Ten Hag in case he left in the summer.
As it was, United ended a disastrous season in style with an FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, as Ten Hag bagged his second trophy in as many seasons at Old Trafford.
Following a thorough review, it was decided that Ten Hag would stay and be rewarded with a new contract, triggering the 12-month extension in his deal to keep him at the club until 2026.
Part of the review was intense conversations with the manager, which Ten Hag opened up on in a recent interview.
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“The argument they gave was briefly: we’ve looked at everything and put it all together, but we think we already have the best manager in-house,” he explained.
“Then I did say: we need to discuss some things, about how we interact and collaborate. We had a good, honest, but also a confrontational conversation about that. As it should be at the top.
“I gave my vision of the season, on the situation at United. And I indicated which path we should take in my opinion.
“You have to be very honest with each other about that. And then it’s about: do you come together or not? I also told them: ‘If you think this is not the way, then we should just part ways.’”
United suffered their lowest league position of the Premier League era last season with an eighth-placed finish, their worst since settling for 13th in 1990.
The club also lost a record number of games in the top flight, with 14 defeats.
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Ten Hag admitted the 2023/24 campaign was “by far the toughest season he had experienced” as a coach.
“You get tired, especially at the end,” the Dutchman revealed. “You have to make sure you stay sharp. Let’s be honest: you lose too many games, it just takes effort to keep the team focused, motivated every time.
“The players are disappointed, the people around you are disappointed. This is a very big club, with a lot of people working here. Those people get disappointed too, a negative atmosphere develops.
“As a manager, you have to keep providing energy. That takes strength, of course.”
Plenty of clubs endured tough times with injuries last term, none more so than United as Ten Hag was forced to utilise an array of defensive combinations, which included Casemiro filling in at the back.
Ten Hag claimed that they “hardly had any defenders left” at one stage of the season, but United have already begun to address the issue with the signing of 18-year-old Leny Yoro.
“It had nothing to do with the intensity of my training because here you train and play every three days,” Ten Hag said as he defended his methods.
“When you see the schedule we had - with 61 matches, not counting all the games my players played for their national teams - it’s just bizarre. It’s really too much.
“We weren’t the only team struggling with injuries, other clubs had the same issue.
“Last season, we had it constantly in the same positions, all in defence. At one point, we hardly had any defenders left.”
United begin their Premier League campaign on Friday, August 16 when they entertain Fulham at Old Trafford.
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