Eric ten Hag’s future: Manchester United manager’s wait for club decision enters third week

It’s fair to say that most members of the media and many fans believed that the overhaul would have been completed by now and Ten Hag would know his fate.

But by beating City – and securing the European qualification they looked set to miss out on – the 54-year-old became the first United boss to win trophies in back-to-back seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson.

That allowed him to issue a direct warning to his employers: “When I started here I said I was here to win and I also wanted to make a team. I do both. But if they don’t want me anymore, I’ll go and win games and trophies elsewhere.”

The Ten Hag went on holiday and United’s hierarchy began their end-of-season review, stressing that no managerial decision would be made until it was finalised.

Within days, it became apparent that anyone who thought the review would be just a quick rerun of the season or a ticking exercise to put a proper gap between Ten Hag’s triumph and a sacking was wrong.

United sources said they had not set a timeline for the review. Speculations of a resolution by the end of last week were also incorrect, and as we enter the third week, there has still been no suggestion that an announcement is in the offing.

Meanwhile, Ten Hag can only wait.

When he was linked with the now-vacant jobs at former clubs Ajax and Bayern Munich in the spring, it was stressed that his only interest was in managing United, where he still has a year left on his contract.

Various names have been floated as his successor, including Kieran McKenna, Mauricio Pochettino, Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter and Thomas Frank.

It was reported this weekend, including by BBC Sport, that Thomas Tuchel no longer wants to be considered for the currently non-existent job after meeting Ratcliffe in Monaco last week. United did not confirm the meeting or comment on the optics surrounding such a chat.

With all their players either on international duty or on summer break, United are in no rush to make a final decision.

Brighton, for example, are seen as a model club when it comes to planning, but Roberto De Zerbi announced he was quitting on May 18, a week before the FA Cup final, and they have yet to name a replacement.

But all eyes are on Old Trafford and it seems no-one, including the Ten Hag, can be sure what the final outcome will be.