Manchester United boss Ten Hag was relaxed over job despite intense sack speculation

Erik ten Hag insisted he never panicked while an internal review at Manchester United determined whether he would keep his job.

It was widely expected the Dutchman would depart Old Trafford this summer after two seasons in charge but new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe, and his Ineos group, decided instead to offer him a 12-month contract extension.

Ten Hag spent the deliberation period on holiday with family and said he was relaxed knowing it was out of his hands.

He told AD: “I just celebrated holidays with my loved ones, and I let things come to me. I have no influence on that anyway.

“It’s not like I panicked. Why? It’s a decision that wasn’t in my hands. I just waited for it.

“At that moment you just think in two scenarios: whether we continue, or not. It’s that simple and I’m level-headed enough to look at it that way.”

A statement of intent.

✍️ @Leny_Yoro#MUFC pic.twitter.com/7u8UTRm6ST

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 19, 2024

Ratcliffe explored other options

It was reported Ratcliffe spoke to other coaches, including former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, while Ten Hag was also given the chance to present his case during a meeting in Ibiza.

The 54-year-old admitted it was a frank discussion with both sides getting the opportunity to have their say on what went wrong last season as United finished eighth in the Premier League, although they did end on a high by beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup.

“They didn’t say ‘we still want to go on’, but: we want to go on,” he added.

“The argument they gave was in a short summary: we looked at everything and put it next to each other, but we think we already have the best manager in house.

“Then I said: ‘then we have to discuss a number of things, about how we interact with each other and work together.’ We had a good, honest, but also confrontational conversation about that. As it should be at the top.

“I also said to them then: if you think this is not the way, then we just have to break up.”

Ten Hag handed Yoro

Ineos have already proved they are ready to back Ten Hag by sanctioning the signing of French defender Leny Yoro yesterday for an initial £52million.

But their pre-season campaign got off to a disappointing start on Monday when they went down 1-0 to Rosenborg in Trondheim and gave a performance Ten Hag described as “not the standard for top football”.