The manager from Ajax made an immediate impression at the Theatre of Dreams in 2022–23. His team won the EFL Cup and ended third in the Premier League.
Because they won the bronze medal in the Premier League, Man United quickly got back into the Champions League. However, their time in Europe was terrible; they came fourth in a group with Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, and Copenhagen.
The Red Devils' style of play was harshly criticized because they let in an unbelievable number of shots per game. As a result, the 20-time English winners had their worst-ever Premier League finish, coming in eighth.
Before the second straight FA Cup final against Manchester City, there were rumors that Ratcliffe would fire Ten Hag, no matter how the game went at Wembley.
On August 10, 2024, this picture shows Erik ten Hag as boss of Manchester United.
"Good guy." Ten Hag had too much to do at once.
Ratcliffe's INEOS regime, fans, and even some of the champions' own players were shocked when Man United beat them 2-1 in the capital. Ten Hag won his second title in as many seasons.
Ratcliffe then gave Ten Hag a surprise stay of execution, and the Dutchman's deal, set to end at the end of this season, was extended until the end of the 2025–26 season.
Ratcliffe, who took over football operations at Old Trafford after buying a 27.7% stake in the club in Christmas 2023, called Ten Hag a "good guy" and said that the Dutchman was trying to handle too many things at once, including fixing the roof that was leaking at Old Trafford.
"Erik is a good person who was pulling too many strings. "He was trying to get the squad in order and fix roof leaks simultaneously," the 71-year-old told the news source.
Ten Hag was only a few minutes away from winning his third title with Manchester United on Saturday. The Red Devils were ahead 1-0 against Manchester City in the Community Shield, but a late header by Bernardo Silva meant they lost on penalties.
Ratcliffe never publicly backed Ten Hag during Man United's terrible Premier League season. Ten Hag stayed defiant that he would still be at Old Trafford in 2024–25.
After winning the FA Cup, the former Ajax head coach took a quick vacation to Ibiza. At that time, Man United was linked with several possible replacements, including Gareth Southgate, who was fired as England manager after Euro 2024.
Some other big names that were considered in the running for the job were Thiago Motta, Xavi, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank, Graham Potter, and Thomas Tuchel. But, a group of Red Devils went to Ibiza to tell Ten Hag he would not be fired.
The 54-year-old player talked about his conversation with INEOS with Dutch media. He revealed that the club had spoken to Tuchel and said the conversation was "confrontational."
Ratcliffe and his colleagues are said to have been very angry with Ten Hag for telling the public about the details of their Ibiza meeting. However, the two groups will continue to work together for at least another year.
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