Manchester United investors Ineos will soon have to make a decision one way or another on the future of Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag will feel he has done enough to stay on at Manchester United to lead the Ineos project, but most new investors at a club want to pick their own man.
A season of disappointing results has made it tough for Ten Hag, who will come under severe pressure if United lose to Liverpool and exit the FA Cup this weekend. On the other hand, a win could be the difference-making result the manager needs.
But there are other factors in play too, namely over who might replace him, and one intriguing option wants a swift decision.
Julian Nagelsmann wants future clarified
One option put forward behind the scenes is Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, former Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig boss.
A recent report from i Sport claimed Nagelsmann has been personally recommended to Ineos by former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who has held talks with the club’s new investors.
Nagelsmann will be focused on leading Germany at Euro 2024 in the summer, and he does not want to be distracted during the tournament by speculation.
According to Sky Germany, Nagelsmann “wants to make a future decision before the Euros, possibly in April or May.”
Florian Plettenberg adds: “Ideally he wants to announce a new club before the tournament! Nagelsmann wants to make a conscious decision early to have clarity. During the tournament and just before it, he wants to fully focus on the tournament and not make his future a topic.”
His stance is understandable. Germany are hosting the tournament and there is huge pressure to perform, and he will not want to have distractions of uncertainty and speculation surrounding his future and taking over press conferences.
Teamtalk also report Manchester United’s interest in Nagelsmann, while The Mirror has reported he is also a potential option for Newcastle.
Van Gaal announced decision before tournament
Manchester United have been here a decade ago. In April 2014, David Moyes was put out of his misery and fired as manager.
After a caretaker spell from Ryan Giggs, an announcement was made for Louis van Gaal to take over once he was finished at the 2014 World Cup with Netherlands.
This did not make it easy for Manchester United, who had to wait longer than required for Van Gaal to start, which cannot have helped him.
Would United want to go through that again? Well, ideally not, but the point is now that a decade on, the club is finally putting the right infrastructure in place, to cope with a situation like this.
If a sporting director and head of recruitment are in position and starting work by late April or early May, then they can bridge the gap and activate transfer activity and shaping the squad, without having to wait on the manager.
Erik ten Hag must show why he deserves to stay
The ideal situation would be that Manchester United already have the right boss. Erik ten Hag just needs to end the season strongly.
There are two home games against Liverpool over the next month. Winning both of these would resoundingly show that he should, and book a place in the FA Cup semi-finals in the process.
Losing both, would see fan discontent start to build. Nagelsmann’s desire for a quick resolution over his own future could make life difficult for the Dutchman.
Ineos won’t want to be rushed, but they won’t want to miss out on a top option through indecision either.
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