Manchester United would have to pay roughly £15million to sack Erik ten Hag in the wake of their Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, reports say.
However, the Red Devils don’t plan on axing the Dutchman just yet – despite their season going from bad to worse.
United were flat on Tuesday, despite needing to claim all three points to progress.
They managed just one shot on target and were sunk by Kingsley Coman, who was once eyed by the club during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in the dugout.
Manchester United were flat as Bayern Munich inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Erik ten Hag’s side on Tuesday night
PA
United’s season promised so much at the beginning.
After spending big on the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Mason Mount, many were even tipping them to challenge for the Premier League title.
But United have been well off the pace and, on top of their domestic struggles, have now been sent tumbling out of Europe’s top-tier club competition.
According to The Athletic, the Red Devils would have to pay roughly £15m to sack Ten Hag.
Yet that’s a decision the club aren’t currently planning to make, with several factors involved.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe poised to arrive at Old Trafford in the near future, United are in a state of flux.
Ratcliffe is set to take charge of football operations and sacking Ten Hag so early into his tenure would be a risky and bold decision.
It’s also claimed that while some United players are unhappy, Ten Hag isn’t facing a ‘mutiny’ just yet either.
The majority of the dressing room remain with the 53-year-old, which also works in his favour.
And with United without a permanent CEO at present while Richard Arnold prepares to leave his post, that also buys Ten Hag more time to turn things around.
Without a doubt, however, results must improve.
United have a lot riding on Ten Hag, who is their fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
And Ten Hag says United have to up the ante if they’re to turn their fortunes around.
“Football is always when you don’t get the points, it’s that you are not qualifying,” he said after the defeat to Bayern.
“You have to take that, as a coach and a manager, and you have to look at the performances.
“We had some good performances in the Champions League, with attacking football, but, at the end of the day, we don’t have the points to qualify.
“We have to accept it and learn from it. We’ve played some good football in the Champions League; for example Rasmus Hojlund scored five times and that’s a very good performance, and he has to take that belief into the Premier League.
“I think that counts for the whole team.
“We know we want to be more consistent and me as a manager, I have to improve the team, the team’s progress, and I have to guide them, and the players have to take responsibilities, so we have to do that together.
“We want to be back again in the Champions League.”
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Manchester United aren’t planning on sacking Erik ten Hag just yet after Bayern Munich defeat
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He added: “We always have pressure. We want to win every game.
“You have seen today, against one of the favourites for the Champions League, we go and give everything to win the game.
“There was the belief. We had that before the game, you’ve seen the spirit of the team on the pitch and there will be at Anfield on Sunday.”
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.
