It says much about Manchester United’s decision on Monday to sack Erik ten Hag, as well as the club’s long-term indecision, that even the Dutch coach’s great victory offered reasons to make a change. In the days before May’s FA Cup final, the Dutch coach was insistent on going “toe to toe” with Manchester City. It was only after hours of internal debate, led by Darren Fletcher, that Ten Hag relented. He had to be told to go with different tactics.
United still persisted with the manager, even though the decision to make a change had largely been settled on before that final. That stance was revealed with how they essentially interviewed Ten Hag for his own job over the weeks after, in a first big move by the new Ineos football leadership. It immediately undermined another season. United’s multi-headed hierarchy couldn’t ultimately settle on the right replacement, which remains a problem. That, allied with initial fan emotion, was the only reason that the decision was delayed until now.
One senior member of the Ineos hierarchy is known to have said, “I told you this would happen,” during key meetings, where the main split was about what next.
The comment that was constantly made within the club and outside was that “no one can understand why Ten Hag is still there”. It went further than that, and further back. As long ago as last November 2023, rival managers were privately criticising Ten Hag and talking about how easy United were to play against. One very experienced coach even used the description of “fraud” in that classic football dismissal of a manager who isn’t perceived as up to it. He wasn’t the only one.
That is harsh given what Ten Hag did at Ajax, but there’s a considerable difference between that and a club that was so well run before several departures, and the chaos at United. That difference was emphasised in present problems.
Ten Hag could never impose a proper football idea or even clarify what he really wanted. Not least to the players. There was only a brief spell when United looked exciting or like a proper team, which was in the few months that culminated in the 2023 League Cup final win. That 2-0 was pretty much it. It’s been 18 months of poor results and often worse performances.
Through that time, players became increasingly baffled by tactics and decisions. Training sessions were long and boring, and there were constant questions over whether their intensity contributed to physical drop-offs and even injury. In addition to being overworked, some of the squad were just bored. Many are now understood to be “relieved” - some much more so than others.
Certain players specifically blamed Ten Hag’s use of them and positioning for their own drop-offs in form. Marcus Rashford is an obvious example. His role was changed at the start of the 2023-24 season, to cover for Luke Shaw, even though he’d enjoyed one of his best-ever campaigns in 2022-23.
It should be stressed that most players didn’t have a problem with Ten Hag personally. Despite constant talk of a lack of charisma, that wasn’t quite the issue. They were just baffled by many of his pure football stances. Just as disruptive was when Ten Hag would appear to “throw players under the bus” after defeats, although much of that was put down to the language barrier.
It’s why a discussion of Ten Hag's time isn’t quite a post-mortem since this had been seen as a zombie regime for so long. The decision was just a matter of time, although insiders insist that Ineos were not prepared for how bad this season has been.
Through that, Ten Hag represents the end of an era in another way. He is the last of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson Glazer appointments, that brings to a nadir a trend where they constantly picked the wrong coach. United now badly need that to end.
It puts new pressure on Ineos, who have not exactly offered encouragement about a changed direction. There’s instead been confusion over which way they’re even going. Decision-making has been too staggered with too many voices. Although chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Dan Ashworth were not there when the initial decision on Ten Hag was made in June, one of the reasons the club are here now is because of the last big call that did involve the senior duo. That meeting in early October, when it was widely expected Ten Hag would be sacked, ended up going on for hours because Ratcliffe specifically asked the various chiefs to put forward thorough cases for various eventualities. The process simply led to more procrastination, as the issue again came back to the problem of a successor.
This is what should be most galling for United right now. They have let a series of suitable candidates go to other jobs while they have dithered, from Mauricio Pochettino to Thomas Tuchel. The timing on the German is all the more striking given he has just agreed to go with England, and so suggestive of waste.
It certainly feels like another season has been needlessly written off. Ineos figures privately admit there have been “missteps”.
As regards the potential names for what next, however, a similar concern is how coaches they have been pursuing are nothing alike. Ruben Amorim, Thomas Frank and - far less likely - Xavi Hernandez are totally different in terms of profile. It doesn’t speak to the unifying identity that the new football leadership are supposed to be articulating.
Other Ineos decisions made Ten Hag’s job more difficult. The cost-cutting, most damaging in terms of people far removed from footballer wages losing their jobs, has got to the dressing room. Players were stunned when they found the travel for the 2-1 defeat at Brighton involved a smaller plane, that had propellers. That meant staff had to travel by coach.
United would stress they make adequate travel plans for whatever the situation entails, but such decisions are said to have worsened morale. One insider described it as “the opposite of marginal gains”.
Whatever the wider debates about such policies, it doesn’t ultimately help a football team win games.
That was what Ten Hag most struggled with, too. His dismal final record, at 14th in the table, is all the more ironic given that he is one of the most successful modern managers in terms of trophies. Ten Hag will always be able to point to a League Cup and FA Cup. That, however, is simultaneously why anyone else would be able to point to declining standards. The domestic trophies are supposed to be a mere bonus at United. The club are supposed to be about the biggest silverware, the Premier League and Champions League.
They currently look further away from that than ever. That is both down to Ten Hag and, as has been the case for years, far bigger issues at the club.
Ineos now need to display the clarity that has been as lacking in the last few months as good performances.
