For the first time since the new management team took over at Manchester United, fans of the new team have seen almost all of them in a match. At the Red Devils' visit to Villa Park on Sunday night, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, two leaders of INEOS, were in attendance. They were led by three directors, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox. The guest of honour sitting in the same row with this group was Sir Alex Ferguson.
The only side missing a representative is the Glazer family. Billionaire co-owner Joel Glazer will fly straight from the US to London for the meeting and will not be attending the match at Villa Park.
During the match, the TV camera repeatedly turned to the stands, where the big bosses of Man United appeared, followed by Ten Hag's face on the pitch. If Man United had lost the match in the 7th round of the Premier League, it is uncertain whether Ten Hag would still be in his position. Although he was not fired immediately after the match, it is not certain that the 54-year-old coach would have been in his position for long.
The leaders of Man United did not hold a meeting with all the VIPs just to discuss whether or not to fire Ten Hag. The team still has many shortcomings in financial policy, transfers, salary fund,... but it cannot be denied that Ten Hag's future will be the topic dominating the agenda in London.
There are many complications and dilemmas if the Glazer family and INEOS agree to sack Ten Hag. The first is their own reputation as managers and executives. Last summer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed with the board of directors to keep Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final win over Manchester City. Britain’s richest man revealed he had no direct involvement in the matter in an interview with BBC Sport in Barcelona last weekend.
If the Dutch coach was fired right now, it would be like a bucket of cold water thrown straight into the faces of Man United's managers. They had just built a plan for Ten Hag until the summer of 2026 but quickly destroyed the whole thing just 2 months after the new season started. From a macro-management perspective, it was a total failure.
Next, firing Ten Hag now will have huge consequences for his successor because over the past 2 years, through 4-5 transfer windows, all the new players coming to Old Trafford are people Ten Hag aims to operate according to his style of play. Not to mention the fact that most of them come from Ajax, if a new coach comes right now, taking over a team that is falling apart and many people are not sure to fit the new philosophy will be a disaster.
Thomas Tuchel is one of the considerations mentioned by the Manchester Evening News. However, if Tuchel comes, how will he use De Ligt or Mazraoui, who have had a frosty relationship with them in the past? That is just one of many personnel stories if Ten Hag falls apart right now.
Man United has invested nearly 700 million Euros during Ten Hag's reign to reform personnel. If they liquidate the 54-year-old teacher right now and the new coach is not useful, economically, this is a painful loss for Man United's owners. They can have 17 million Euros to compensate Ten Hag for his contract, but they cannot have several hundred million Euros immediately to please the new person, not to mention being financially squeezed.
If not Thomas Tuchel, who will replace him? There are many coaches available but it is difficult to choose the right one. Otherwise, Man United would not be in such a dilemma and torn as after the FA Cup final. Firing Ten Hag is possible but finding a suitable replacement is something no one dares to confirm.
However, if the decision to sack Ten Hag is made, now would be the best time for the Man United board to do so. The club championships will be suspended for two weeks to make way for FIFA Days. If the decision is made after October 8, the new (or caretaker) manager will have more than a week to prepare. This is too little time, but it is better than no time at all.
Ten Hag is holding his breath like he did at the end of last season and so are many Man United fans.
