Erik ten Hag deserves clarity as Manchester United drag their heels – opinion

The wait for a decision on Erik ten Hag’s future is dragging on.

It has been 13 days since the Reds won the FA Cup final against Man City, with the Dutchman winning his second trophy in two years as Manchester United manager yet fans are still none the wiser about whether he will remain in charge next season.

I, for one, hope United stand-by Ten Hag, but the club is not behaving like one that believes in its manager by letting the uncertainty drag on. It’s sad to see and fans are right to be concerned about the lack of decisiveness.

Does attracting new talent become more difficult if nobody knows who will be shouting instructions from in the dugout next season?

Some will say the board has done the right thing. To wait for the dust to settle after the final because a knee-jerk decision one way or another immediately after would have been wrong. Very Ed Woodward.

But… it’s almost been two weeks since our memorable day out at Wembley!

If Ineos are still unsure about Ten Hag, surely that’s the decision made, unfortunately.

According to the Manchester Evening News, nothing is expected to be announced on Ten Hag today.

Many suggested Friday was D-Day for Ten Hag, but there was no deadline given for this announcement.

The Independent claims Gareth Southgate is a strong contender, but he will be in charge of England at Euro 2024 this summer so perhaps the timing isn’t right.

There’s a possibility United might give Ten Hag an few extra months in charge before pulling the trigger. Southgate’s England contract doesn’t expire until November and his focus this summer is on Euro 2024.

Sources close to Stretty News stated in the past that Southgate is ‘a contender to take seriously’, with the England manager having a good relationship with Sir David Brailsford. It is understood the cycling expert has leaned on Southgate for expertise when appointing managers at Nice.

Anyhow, I find all this quite disrespectful towards the current manager, who has won two trophies in as many years at United.

If it drags on any longer, I may have to research whether United could become the first club to sack a manager in pre-season…

Ten Hag deserves better. He needs clarity at the very least.