Eric ten Hag said he would join another club and go on to win trophies if Manchester United sacked him after their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Aside from delivering what could be considered a final farewell shot before learning his fate, Ten Witches was unable to make any clear statement about his future. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the minority shareholder who controls United’s football policy, earlier refused to say whether victory against Manchester City would be enough for the Dutchman to stay.
Manchester United have identified candidates to replace Ten Hague, who won last season’s Carabao Cup final, and are ready to make changes after finishing eighth in the Premier League, although victory in the FA Cup will bring European football next season.
“I don’t think about that,” said the Ten Witches. “I was working on a project. We were exactly where we wanted to be. We were building a team. When I took over, it was chaos. The team was developing and winning. It’s about winning trophies. The team has its own features. You need a strong team.
“You need players available and there is still a lot of work to do. The team is improving and we are winning trophies. Two trophies in two years is not bad. I am not satisfied. If they don’t need me anymore I will leave [somewhere else] Win trophies because that’s what I’ve done my whole career.
United executed Ten Hag’s tactics to perfection and won with first-half goals from teenager Alejandro Garnacho and Coby Mainu, ending Manchester City’s hopes of a double and qualifying for the Europa League. .
However, the focus of the conversation was the position of the ten witches. Before the final, he told Dutch media that the club told him they wanted him to stay. But the 54-year-old was evasive when asked whether that message was conveyed to him during a review with United’s hierarchy last week.
“How many times do I have to tell you this?” said the Tenth Wife. “Do I have to repeat it 10 times? Twenty times? They don’t have to tell me every week. I’ve been in some clubs where they tell you every day: ‘You’re the best. ” If they tell me they don’t want me anymore, I’ll hear it.
It is worth noting that Ratcliffe did not single out the “Ten Witches” for praise. “Winning the FA Cup final at Wembley is a glorious feeling,” said the Ineos giant. “Manchester United were obviously not the favorites to win today, but they played with total commitment and skill and beat one of the greatest teams in football. We are all proud of the players and the staff who worked tirelessly to support them .
Ten Hag, who has repeatedly claimed the team’s poor form is due to injuries, was asked whether United needed stability. “I don’t need to think about this,” he said. “When you look at the past ten years, this club has not had so many finals, not so many trophies, not so many young talents. We have strengthened the team through the coaching. We also need the transfer window to bring in players and at any time Available players.
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Manchester United are monitoring Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter, Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Gareth Southgate. Ten Hag was asked if it was disrespectful for the club to talk to the candidate. “I don’t know if they did,” he said. “I can’t answer that question.”
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Responding to Ten Hag’s statement that “we are exactly where we want to be”, it was suggested that the injury crisis was no excuse for United to finish eighth and finish with a negative goal difference. “When you do that, you don’t have any knowledge of running a football team,” Ten Hag replied. “If that was my opinion, I would go somewhere else. I would keep winning trophies.
City looked tired after winning the league last Sunday but failed to defend their title, with Guardiola admitting his tactics were wrong. The team improved when Jeremy Doku came on at half-time, but the winger’s goal came too late. “We were in the wrong position,” Guardiola said. “It’s my fault. The game plan was not good.