Man Utd supremo Ratcliffe drops UNEXPECTED Ten Hag bombshell

Robin Bairner

• 18 May 2024 10:40 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has given the strongest indication yet that under-fire manager Erik ten Hag could remain in charge of the Old Trafford club into next season, absolving him of responsibility for what has been another disappointing season.

Man Utd look likely to finish eighth in the Premier League and could miss out on European football in what was an undoubted backwards step this term after Ten Hag led the club to third last time around.

It is now over a decade since the Red Devils last tasted league glory, and Ratcliffe was at pains to point out that it is not just the former Ajax boss who has struggled at Old Trafford.

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“This is not about the manager, if you look at Manchester United in the last 11 years, it's not doing terribly, none of the managers have done terribly well,” the Ineos supremo told Bloomberg.

“There's been some really good coaches that have come to Manchester United so you know the conclusion from that has to be that the environment for the coach has not been a successful one because none of them have been successful.

“And, you know, Erik's working in that same environment, so our focus is on how do we change that environment and the structure that provides the environment for the coach.”

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A new option opens up

Ratcliffe’s words certainly seem to suggest that he does not blame Ten Hag for the club’s trials this season – at least fully.

FootballTransfers understands, however, that there is an appetite to change the manager at Old Trafford. England boss Gareth Southgate, Brentford manager Thomas Frank and Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, who previously worked at Man Utd as a coach, are among the options being considered.

Another possibility opened up for Man Utd on Saturday as Massimiliano Allegri was sacked by Juventus in the wake of his club’s Coppa Italia triumph over Atalanta.

The Express indicates that Allegri has already been offered to the Old Trafford outfit.

Allegri is a coach linked with Man Utd for years, yet this was under the previous sporting regime and it would be surprising if his brand of pragmatism was considered at this point when the fans are itching for a more dynamic and exciting brand of football.