Erik ten Hag may be uncomfortable about Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s imminent Manchester United arrival if his previous actions at the club are anything to go by. Change is on the horizon at Old Trafford, and it is likely to directly impact Ten Hag and many of those he has worked with closely since his arrival last summer.
Sir Jim is reportedly in advanced discussions with the Glazer family over completing a £1.4billion deal to purchase 25 per cent of the club.
The INEOS founder is expected to inherit total sporting control from the American owners, which would likely involve the appointment of his own figures in important roles.
United chief executive Richard Arnold is set to leave his position once Sir Jim enters power at Old Trafford, The Athletic report.
Football director John Murtough is also claimed to be at risk of losing his job, with his replacement already potentially lined up.
The Telegraph report that Paul Mitchell is at the top of Sir Jim’s shortlist and is mutually keen on accepting the job to become a significant part of a new-look structure.
But Ten Hag, who has held huge power in recruitment and other decisions in his first 18 months at United, may not be happy with the new working environment Mitchell’s arrival would create.
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Ralf Rangnick had agreed to a two-year consultancy period with United after he completed his stint as interim manager at the end of the 2021/22 season.
However, ESPN state United terminated his contract at Ten Hag’s request. The Dutchman didn’t even meet Rangnick face-to-face; instead, he informed him that he would be helming the football department alongside Murtough.
Ten Hag’s recruitment has been hit and miss, though, splashing over £400m into his project across just three transfer windows.
Sir Jim is bound to address the inconsistent success of United’s transfer business across the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson’s
Danny Mills believes Ten Hag will have to coexist with Mitchell or whichever director of football Sir Jim appoints if he is to be a success at United.
“The relationship between the sporting director and the manager, the head coach, is vital,” Mills told Express Sport.
“They have to have an understanding, they have to get on, and they have to work as one.
“The sporting director is more powerful than the manager. He sets the whole tone of the football club. He identifies the way they’re going to play.”
