According to exclusive Guardian news, Man Utd has decided to fire coach Erik ten Hag, regardless of the FA Cup final result with Man City.

“Firing Ten Hag is the first big decision of billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and his colleagues since the INEOS group took control of Man Utd’s football activities,” the newspaper wrote on the evening of May 24. “Reliable sources say that even if he helps the team win the FA Cup, Ten Hag will still be fired.”

Coach Erik ten Hag expressed gratitude to Man Utd fans after the victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford, Manchester, in the Premier League on May 15, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Guardian , founded in 1821 in Manchester, is Britain’s leading daily newspaper, printing more than 100,000 copies every day. They were four times considered the best newspaper of the year by the British Journalists Association, with the electronic version attracting more than 300,000 visits each month. Many news agencies in the UK also quoted this source, saying that Ten Hag would be fired.

Ten Hag has led Man Utd since the summer of 2022, helping the team finish third in the first season and return to the Champions League. However, the “Red Devils” declined this season, finishing eighth overall, their lowest position in Premier League history. Asked many times about the reason for the team’s decline, Ten Hag said that the problem was injuries. Man Utd had the most injuries in the last tournament, with 65 cases.

Ratcliffe has tasked new CEO Omar Berrada and Technical Director Jason Wilcox with evaluating the team’s results last season. Although there is still the FA Cup final on May 25 at Wembley, Ten Hag’s future has been decided, with the same situation as coach Louis van Gaal in 2016. A few days before the final against Crystal Palace that year, media reports said. British media also reported that Van Gaal would be fired. Man Utd eventually won the Cup, but Van Gaal still had to leave five days later. A day later, coach Jose Mourinho was appointed to lead the team.

Man Utd considers Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna, Graham Potter and Thomas Frank as possible successors to Ten Hag. The team negotiated with McKenna’s representatives – former assistant to coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. But according to the Guardian , Tuchel is the priority of the “Red Devils”, as his contract was just terminated by Bayern Munich .