by Erik ten Hag’s long-term future as Manchester United manager is under threat as Ineos waits in the wings.
United’s early Champions League exit this week added to the scrutiny of Ten Hag’s position ahead of Sunday’s banned trip to face Liverpool at Anfield, where they lost 7-0 last season.
Ten Hag are understood to still be safe with no desire for change under the current Old Trafford regime, despite recognizing that results need to improve with Tuesday’s 1-0 win at home to Bayern Munich meaning United have lost half of their 24 games this term. .
But the Ten Hag’s position is expected to become more vulnerable when Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes over football operations if the pitch does not improve significantly after a tough few months.
It remains to be seen how tolerant Ratcliffe’s Ineos Sport group will be – they have overseen the departure of five managers at their French club Nice in four years – amid concerns that are considered serious concerns about United’s terrible slump and offensive recruitment.
United’s current hierarchy are sympathetic to the injury crisis that Ten Hag had to deal with and which worsened again before Liverpool, as well as all the outside noise around Mason Greenwood, Antony, Jadon Sancho and the takeover.
Despite losing seven games in the Premier League, they also feel that Champions League qualification remains strong with United six points out of the top four and level with Newcastle.
However, Ratcliffe will not want to see his first summer transfer window hit by the loss of vital Champions League revenue if United do not finish in the top four – or five if England are given an extra place as part of Uefa reform to 36-. team competition next season.
The Ineos founder expected his proposed £1.3 billion purchase of a 25 per cent stake in United from the Glazers to be confirmed by now and in the Premier League’s due diligence process.
But with delays meaning the news is unlikely to be announced until next week at the earliest and possibly beyond, and the confirmation process taking between four and eight weeks, there is little prospect of Ratcliffe in there to make a material impact on United’s January transfer window. .
United’s early exit from Europe has dented the club’s budget by around £28 million and could increase the pressure to sell a number of players next month. Jadon Sancho, who has been in exile at Ten Hag for over three months, Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Anthony Martial are among those United are thought to be open to offers for.
Given United’s budget to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, their early exit from the competition will result in a projected hit of around £19.5 million in participation and appearance fees and reduced TV pool payments .
Two home games won would bring in around £8.2 million in day revenue, which would mean a £27.7 million hole in the coffers.
United will also not be able to recoup any of that money through participation in the Europa League after finishing bottom of their group in the Champions League, as only the third-placed teams in their groups enter the play-offs for European second tier competition.
United does not have much transfer activity planned in terms of arrivals or outflows next month but departures are more likely than arrivals and, apart from the need to raise funds to reinvest, there are considerations with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Eintracht Frankfurt are hoping to beat off competition from La Liga leaders Girona to sign midfielder Donny van de Beek on loan while Sancho – who has fallen out with Ten Hag – could also leave.
Any reasonable offers for the likes of Varane, Casemiro or Martial would need to be considered, even if there is no clear market for those three.
Many teams from the Saudi Pro League are at the most allowable ceilings for foreign signings and the huge wages that these three players will earn will be an obstacle for most European clubs.
Both Varane and Martial will be free to talk to foreign clubs next month as their contracts expire at the end of the season. Martial will leave in the summer if he doesn’t do it next month.
United announced at the time of Varane’s signing that he was under contract until 2025 but is only committed until then if a 12-month option is triggered in his deal and that is not certain after straining his relationship with Ten Hag.
The French defender, 30, made his first start of the month on Tuesday and is likely to have to answer the manager’s defensive SOS again against Liverpool.
His former Real Madrid team-mate Casemiro, who is currently on the sidelines due to injury, is not happy with how this season ended either.
But, at 31 and with a £350,000-a-week contract that runs until June 2026 with the option of another year, United would have to take a major blow for a player they paid £60 million for rising to £70 million.
Meanwhile, United have begun an audit of their medical set-up after launching an internal review following the injury crisis they have endured this season.
The review – which is being led by new head of sports medicine Gary O’Driscoll – is aimed at modernizing the club’s approach and is expected to result in a number of recommendations being put forward to the Ineos team.
