Sport Linkers 2
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The ruthless decision to change manager will be the most significant move made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his allies since Ineos agreed to take a minority stake in the club last December and assumed control of football operations. United, who appointed Ten Hag two years ago, have felt compelled to act after ending a fraught campaign eighth in the Premier League, their lowest finish since 1990.
The team’s struggles this season have caused faith in Ten Hag to dwindle. United will have a last shot at qualifying for Europe when they face City – causing an upset against the champions would earn a place in the Europa League – but the hierarchy do not want to make a decision based on one game.
The challenge for Ten Hag, who has said he has already met with Ratcliffe and the minority owner’s advisers to review the season, will be ensuring his players are not distracted by the noise around his position. For United, the focus will soon switch to picking a replacement for the former Ajax manager.
The next manager will need to work in the new structure United are implementing. Ratcliffe’s close advisers include Sir Dave Brailsford, the acting chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc and the technical director Jason Wilcox. Omar Berrada is due to take over as chief executive, Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
Tuchel is regarded as the frontrunner but it is understood United have held exploratory talks with Pochettino.
The task of reviving United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 has been beyond all of the Scot’s successors. Ten Hag, who came in after Ralf Rangnick’s spell as interim, pointed to those lean times on Thursday. “So in the last 10 years not so many trophies in this club, but we have an opportunity to win two trophies in two years,” he said.
Ten Hag was asked whether he had talks planned with the hierarchy. “No, we already did and on Sunday I will go on holiday,” he said. “I think I deserve it.”
United are due to conduct a final review before making an announcement on Ten Hag’s future. Their debrief is likely to focus on the chaotic nature of their performances this season. United had a habit of squandering leads and conceding late goals and tended to allow opponents an astonishing number of shots. Ten Hag also clashed with Jadon Sancho, who will play in next Saturday’s Champions League final after joining Borussia Dortmund on loan.
