For Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, the wait goes on.
It is now more than three weeks since the Manchester United boss lifted the FA Cup at Wembley after he masterminded a Wembley defeat of the club’s bitter rivals Manchester City.
The trophy win meant a disappointing season ended on a high, with the Red Devils’ eighth-placed Premier League finish the worst in the club’s history.
That led to near-constant speculation over the run-in that the Dutchman was set for the sack, but the FA Cup win, which comes with qualification for the Europa League, appears to given the board second thoughts.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team are undergoing an end-of-season review as they gear up for their first transfer window in charge of the club’s football operations, but the delay in determining the manager’s future could impact what the club are able to achieve in the market this summer.
According to The Telegraph, Ten Hag is growing ‘increasingly frustrated’ by the delay as he continues to wait for the review is completed and is said to be aware that Ratcliffe and Ineos have spoken to other manager since the season ended.
Ten Hag is said to believe that the club is at risk of falling behind in the transfer market, with no clear plan agreed on in a meeting before the boss went on holiday following the FA Cup win.
Thomas Tuchel is out of the running for the job after he decided to take a break from the game after meeting Ratcliffe in Monaco, while Mauricio Pochettino is also said to be unlikely to land the job.
Kieran McKenna, another target, signed a new deal with Ipswich last month, while Brentford boss Thomas Frank and former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi have also been linked.
A lack of an outstanding first-choice replacement for Ten Hag could mean the club chose to retain the former Ajax boss, who believes he should be given the opportunity to continue under the new regime that are finally looking to improve the club’s infrastructure.
The FA Cup win has also seen his standing among the Old Trafford fans grow in recent weeks, as they call for the situation to be resolved as quickly as possible.
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