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Erik ten Hag has come again firing after a painful few weeks of ready to listen to if he nonetheless has a job as Manchester United supervisor.
Having interviewed at the least six doable replacements for the Dutchman, part-owners Ineos determined to stay with him, at the least in the intervening time.
This has resulted in discussions over a brand new contract, one thing Ten Hag confirmed himself when showing on Dutch TV as a pundit yesterday.
There was little humility or aid evident within the supervisor’s method as he supplied his skilled views on England’s opening match towards Serbia, the truth is, bumptious might be one of the best phrase to explain it.
His feedback in regards to the new contract, the interviews with different candidates and Luke Shaw’s health are coated elsewhere, however one attention-grabbing line of dialog got here after the sport when he was requested to touch upon England’s dour efficiency.
“It’s the imaginative and prescient of the supervisor [Gareth Southgate],” he mentioned (by way of The Telegraph). “England will take a 1-0 lead, then he decides to start out playing with making his crew compact and counting on moments for the remaining minutes of the sport.”
The irony and pointedness of the feedback weren’t misplaced on United followers.
When it comes to irony, one factor that led Ten Hag to the brink of dismissal was his incapacity to make his United facet compact all through the 2023/24 season. His midfield had extra holes than a colander and his facet had the worst objectives towards document, averaged per recreation, in membership historical past.
The “counting on moments” a part of the remark was additionally ironic, given Ten Hag’s persistent use of a transitions-based system, the place United ceded possession for huge durations of the sport even towards lower-ranked opposition, ready for an opportunity to counter.
When it comes to the pointedness of his feedback, it was extensively reported that Southgate was one of many frontrunners to take over from Ten Hag at Previous Trafford. In reality, the England supervisor’s refusal to enter into discussions with United till after the Euros often is the one factor that saved the Dutchman’s bacon, with Ineos needing to decide sooner.
Ten Hag’s scathing feedback in regards to the tactical acumen of his adversary due to this fact had fairly an edge.
Does Ten Hag nonetheless really feel threatened by the spectre of Southgate looming over his shoulder? Or was it simply bitterness and indignation on the very thought he got here near being changed by such an inferior being? We can not inform.
His affirmation that settlement over a brand new contract “isn’t simply completed,” and that “we’re nonetheless going to have to speak about this”, coupled along with his basic manner, made it plain for all to see that his relationship along with his employers is now frosty to say the least.
The Dutchman is demanding a two-year take care of loads of different stipulations, whereas Ineos might be trying to wrest varied levels of management from him and construct in escape hatches in his contract, so a substantial amount of compromise might be wanted to keep away from an deadlock.
If an settlement can’t be reached, with the Euros over, Southgate may as soon as once more turn into the largest risk to Ten Hag’s future.
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