By the time Crystal Palace scored a fourth goal against Manchester United at Selhurst Park on Monday night, Erik ten Hag could not quite believe what he was watching.
Perhaps rather appropriately, the United manager was dressed in an all-black attire as goals from Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell flew past Andre Onana to consign the Red Devils to a 13th Premier League defeat of the season.
For Ten Hag, who was so bullish about the prospect of ending Liverpool and Manchester City’s dominance of English football when he was unveiled as Manchester United’s manager less than two years ago, this damning 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park was a brutal reality check as it saw him become the first Old Trafford boss to lose 13 games in a single Premier League season.
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez transfer interest could force Liverpool’s hand as next major decision weighed up
READ MORE: Cody Gakpo becomes latest Liverpool player to speak on ‘curious’ Arne Slot appointment
“I admire them both,” said Ten Hag back in May 2022. “They play fantastic football. But eras come to an end.”
Sure, Ten Hag was right in some aspects. Jurgen Klopp has just two games left as Liverpool manager after a distinguished nine-year career at Anfield. The German is set to be replaced by Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, with long-serving staff members Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, John Achterberg, Vitor Matos and Andreas Schlumberger also departing.
And with Richard Hughes set to begin his role as sporting director on June 1 under the guidance of Fenway Sports Group’s newly-appointed ‘CEO of football’, Michael Edwards, this summer will see the curtain drawn on an illustrious era in Liverpool’s modern history.
But with the Reds sitting third in the Premier League table and assured of a return to the Champions League next season, as well as winning the Carabao Cup just three months ago, one can only assume that this is not how Ten Hag saw the Klopp era ending.
Of course, United played a crucial role in spoiling the dream farewell for the departing manager as they knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup in March before a frustrating 2-2 draw in the Premier League at Old Trafford last month saw Klopp’s men surrender top spot.
But at a time when much uncertainty was expected to circulate at Anfield as FSG prepared for a summer shake-up in a post-Klopp world, United have missed the opportunity to help Ten Hag deliver on his bullish promise from his Old Trafford unveiling.
Those of a United persuasion will argue that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of a controlling stake in the club back in December has acted as a catalyst for change at Old Trafford. True indeed. And since acquiring his 25%, the INEOS chief has made sweeping changes across the board in an attempt to restore the feel-good factor of yesteryear.
Yet, Ratcliffe’s willingness to play a patient game at Old Trafford is ensuring that United enter the off-season with little clarity of how things could look next season. That’s because after striking a savvy deal to poach Omar Berrada from Manchester City and appoint him as the club’s new CEO back in January, United are refusing to be mocked financially by Newcastle United in a deal to appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
Consequently, should the two clubs be unable to agree on a financial package in the coming weeks and months then the 53-year-old will not start work at Old Trafford until the early months of 2026, two years after Ratcliffe’s arrival.
It begs the question as to how much capital will United blow on over-inflated transfer fees in that time as they enter negotiations without a designated executive figure. One can only assume that it would be a sum significantly higher than the £20m Newcastle are demanding for the transfer chief.
Ashworth, though, isn’t the only man who is unsure if he will be working at Old Trafford next season, with Ten Hag’s position as manager somehow still in the balance despite United being on track for their lowest finish in the Premier League. In recent weeks, there has been talk of Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel succeeding the Dutchman, with Ratcliffe and Co weighing up whether to aboard the managerial merry-go-round.
FSG, on the other hand, have operated with surgical precision since Klopp informed them in November of his decision to step down at the end of the season. And after Edwards’ new, wide-scoping role was confirmed in March, he wasted little time to begin number-crunching with Liverpool’s director of research Will Spearman as the pair decided upon Slot as the ideal candidate to pick up the reins at Anfield this summer
Like United, Liverpool’s desired first-choice came at a cost but even after seeing an opening offer of £7.7m rejected by Feyenoord, Anfield chiefs quickly returned with an improved proposal worth up to £9.4m to ensure there was no chance of a tedious and public bartering for Slot.
Therefore as we approach the second anniversary of Ten Hag’s bullish introduction to English football, there is only one Dutchman equipped to start a new era in the Premier League: Arne Slot.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
