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Manchester United supervisor Erik ten Hag has lastly responded to INEOS beforehand holding talks together with his potential successors earlier than a choice was made to retain him as membership boss.
United endured a particularly underwhelming and disappointing 2023/24 season that noticed them end eighth within the Premier League, their lowest-ever end since 1989/90.
This left Ten Hag’s future at Outdated Trafford hanging within the steadiness. Nonetheless, the 54-year-old’s declare to stay within the United dugout was considerably aided by his masterminding of a 2-1 FA Cup ultimate win in opposition to Manchester Metropolis at Wembley.
That end result and efficiency in opposition to Pep Guardiola’s males noticed followers fiercely rally round Ten Hag. After an extended end-of-season overview course of, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS agency elected to afford the United supervisor extra time.
Nonetheless, at sure factors, whereas the audit of the marketing campaign was ongoing, United chiefs are believed to have held exploratory talks with different managers together with Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Thomas Frank, Kieran McKenna and Marco Silva, simply to say a couple of names.
Ten Hag spoke to the media (by way of ESPN) and was requested about his ideas on INEOS speaking to his probably replacements.
He replied, “What I feel is I wish to collaborate. So togetherness, as a result of I do know if you end up collectively you obtain extra success and I’m right here to win. However we wish to win, so I’ve to really feel this, and after I really feel this, we are going to win. We’ve good folks.”
“With extremely competent folks, they may contribute to extra success, and I don’t suppose it’s a destructive. So concerning your query, I don’t suppose negatively. “If” this or “if” this. I really feel constructive, and I really feel very aligned. They’re right here; we’re constructing these relationships; and, as I mentioned, we’ve got to show this level through the season and the subsequent coming years, how sturdy we’re.”
Ten Hag insisted that through the interval of uncertainty through which nobody definitively knew whether or not or not he would stay as United gaffer, he nonetheless stored his eye on the prize and by no means as soon as misplaced focus.
“I used to be by no means distracted from the mission. I got here right here two years in the past, and this group of gamers hadn’t received for six years any trophy. I mentioned we’re additionally in a mission and we’re right here to win and be constructing and that we knew earlier than us that it’ll not come in a single day. We’ve to work very exhausting, and we must cope with setbacks throughout that point.”
“The primary season I feel was very profitable, with two finals. We received one; we misplaced one — we must always have received that one — and we have been third. We got here far in Europe, and we performed over 60 matches. Then final season, there have been loads of setbacks, that was clear. However by the top we obtained rewarded, as a result of we stored believing and we received an incredible trophy and so we’ve got a basis.”
“I feel in the summertime, many positives are there with the brand new management group who will assist give us a greater basis, a construction, that can assist our staff. We’ve some new coaches in, which provides us, not a greater dynamic however a unique dynamic — improvements, new concepts, a brand new dynamic, new power — and I feel then we will make progress to get to the subsequent degree.”
Ten Hag admitted that when he arrived at United in the summertime of 2022, the extent of the squad was lower than the extent required of the 20-time English champions.
He remarked that in his tenure, the Purple Devils have caught up and at the moment are able to competing with the most effective groups in England. He famous that the subsequent problem for the membership is to win on a extra constant foundation however the excellent news is that there’s already a strong basis in place.
Ten Hag reiterated that he’s comfy amidst the continued modifications to the construction and his backroom employees.
“I’m very comfy, and in addition at the moment I felt very comfy as a result of I consider in myself. However after all it can assist if there is superb communication, and naturally it’s useful if you really feel the backing from the management group. That helps as a result of then you understand the place you’re constructing to, that you just do it collectively.”
“When you find yourself in an excellent, very sturdy bond, that provides you confidence, provides you perception. Additionally the dressing room, they may really feel this, they may really feel this sturdy perception that can mattress into the dressing room and so they mattress it into the pitch.”
United return to motion within the early hours of Sunday morning once they tackle Liverpool, of their final US pre-season conflict.
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