Erik ten Hag, the manager of Man United, will be looking to increase his chances of retaining his position when his team plays Man City in the FA Cup final on Saturday at Wembley.
Erik ten Hag will be determined to end the season on a high at Wembley. (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images.)
Standing in the Old Trafford center circle, Erik ten Hag made his promise.
“I promise you those players will give everything to win that cup and bring it to Old Trafford and we are sure you will be there supporting us,” stated the manager of Manchester United. “We thank you, the best supporters in the world.”
Following Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United, Ten Hag gave an upbeat and optimistic speech to the Old Trafford crowd. It was Ten Hag’s chance to make a statement after what might have been his final home game as manager.
On Sunday, the last day of the Premier League season, United defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 as a response to his speech. As a result, they will have momentum going into Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley against Manchester City. Only keeping City from scoring twice will save United’s season after such a dismal campaign.
Naturally, Ten Hag may find that this is his only chance to keep his job. With Mauricio Pochettino’s departure from Chelsea on Tuesday, there is now another name on the list of possible successors.
After leading United to a third-place finish in his first season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag brought an end to the team’s six-year trophy drought. But he has presided over a year of regression this season, as the team finished last in the Premier League and crashed out of Europe before Christmas.
Ten Hag has blamed United’s decline on an endless injury crisis for the majority of the campaign. It’s a legitimate argument that deserves to be heard.
Ten Hag has, nevertheless, still had access to enough talent to guide United to greater success. In addition, the players must accept some of the blame for the club’s demise.
Ten Hag will be hoping that this is not the final time he leads the team in front of the aspirational Ineos chief, as co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is anticipated to watch Saturday’s all-Manchester final from the plush seats at Wembley. The Dutchman has repeatedly stated that he intends to lead United into a third term after the summer break and that he has had encouraging talks with Ratcliffe.
There won’t be much Ten Hag can do, though, once his players cross the white line a short while before 3 p.m. on Saturday. It will be his players’ responsibility to perform well and, at the absolute least, to put on a show that keeps them from looking foolish.
For the first time in their history, United is the underdog going into a Manchester derby. That is a fact that cannot be avoided. But as they proved in January 2023 at Old Trafford, City is not unbeatable.
Few people think United will win on Saturday; if they do, it will be an FA Cup upset. Whatever the result, though, a strong showing could be sufficient to convince United’s executives that Ten Hag deserves to be in the driver’s seat for another season.
Ten Hag assured the “best in the world” United supporters that his players would “give everything” to finish the season strong and return the FA Cup to the red half of Manchester.
If they don’t leave everything on the Wembley field, Ten Hag might not survive. It’s possible that his players will decide for Ratcliffe in the end.
