Erik ten Hag has extended his contract with Manchester United, the club confirmed on Thursday.
The Dutchman’s deal will run until 2026 after the club triggered the option for an additional year which was on his previous contract.
It had appeared as though the club’s new owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos were going to replace the Dutchman for the 2024/25 campaign after speaking to several candidates, including Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel, however, an eventual 2-1 FA Cup final win over Manchester City turned things around for him.
The Red Devils have now won two trophies since Ten Hag took over at Old Trafford after the League Cup success in 2023.
Speaking after Ten Hag’s contract extension, Sporting Director Dan Ashworth said:
“With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.”
“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.”
“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently.”
“With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”
The Dutchman himself, as quoted on the club’s website said:
“I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together,”
“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.”
“However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.”
“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”
Focus will now turn to the summer transfer window and pre-season, which will see United take on Rosenborg, Rangers, Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool. There is hope that the club can improve on last season’s disappointing league campaign and new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, has set a simple target.
