Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a problem if he wants to sack Erik ten Hag after Man Utd cup glory

Manchester United will owe Erik ten Hag a larger compensation package if they sack the Dutchman, due to their Europa League qualification, reports claim. Ten Hag’s future remains a mystery despite his side’s fantastic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City on Saturday.

A dismal 2023-24 season saw United finish eighth in the Premier League and dumped out of the Champions League group stage. They have only qualified for next season’s Europa League thanks to their domestic cup success.

Ten Hag’s squad was riddled with injuries throughout the campaign but there has been strong criticism of the United manager’s ability to deal with that situation. He hit back at media coverage of him and his players after winning the FA Cup.

United will conduct a season review this week which will involve assessing whether Ten Hag is the right man for the job moving forward. The former Ajax boss, who went on holiday after Saturday’s match, is reported to believe that he can steer the Red Devils in the right direction.

There remains the possibility that he will be sacked by minority shareholders INEOS, who have been widely tipped to appoint a candidate preferred by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. However, The Times report that Ten Hag’s FA Cup victory and subsequent qualification for the Europa League means a larger compensation package will be due to the manager, should he be dismissed.

United had failed to qualify for Europe at all due to their lowly league position. Had City won the FA Cup, the second Europa League spot would have gone to Chelsea, with Newcastle qualifying for the Conference League.

Instead, Chelsea will enter next season’s Conference League while Newcastle will miss out altogether. It was widely reported throughout the campaign that Ten Hag needed European qualification to have any chance of keeping his job beyond the campaign.