Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are still undecided over whether Erik ten Hag will remain as Manchester United manager next season, but in the long term, they are more sure Gareth Southgate is their perfect coach.
There was no white smoke from Old Trafford on Friday meaning the club’s end-of-season review will move into a third week, leaving the Dutchman guessing as to whether he is to plan for next term or not.
While i understands several alternative options have been contacted in the past few weeks, none have suitably impressed the new co-owners enough to bring Ten Hag’s two-year stint to an end yet.
The longer the deliberations go on, the more likely it is that Ten Hag gets another chance in the United hotseat.
However, sources have told i that the key decision-makers in the Ineos revolution – Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford and incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth – all have their gaze fixed on one long-term candidate.
Southgate is understood to be uninterested in taking over at Old Trafford as it stands, with England among the favourites to win Euro 2024 which starts next week. He is said to be very happy where he is and unsure about the monumental challenge of transforming United in their current beleaguered state.
That has not deterred the Ineos powerbrokers. If Ten Hag is to get more time, they will not hesitate to make a change a few months into next season, sources said, should United’s Premier League woes continue. They could then move for Southgate once more.
Waiting for the right figure is something Ratcliffe and Brailsford have considered important right from the start of this process.
For example, other sporting directors could have started at Old Trafford already, but it is Ashworth who Ineos wanted, so they are happy to wait until his gardening leave at Newcastle United is served, no matter how long that takes.
Southgate transformed the England set-up with Ashworth, from youth level up to the senior team. The pair also played a prominent role in creating the state-of-the-art facilities at St George’s Park. The opportunity to rekindle his working relationship with the England coach is said to be very appealing to Ashworth.
Brailsford also worked with both Ashworth and Southgate in an advisory capacity and retains a professional admiration for the duo, having continued to collaborate on several other projects.
Ratcliffe’s perception of Southgate is understood to be more simple. The Manchester-born billionaire sees it as a real coup if United can poach England’s coach, a sign of the power they would wield as a football club.
Supporters are frustrated at what they see as the poor treatment handed out to Ten Hag since his FA Cup final victory over Manchester City last month.
The large majority of fans want him to be given more time, which he could still get. Should United start next season well with the Dutchman at the helm, a Southgate appointment would have to wait.
Appeasing the fanbase is important to Ineos, given protests against the club’s ownership have proved commonplace in recent years. That does not mean interest in Southgate will dwindle, however.
With Kieran McKenna committing his immediate future to Ipswich, representatives for Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank, Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel have all been sounded out, without provoking much of a reaction at Ineos towers.
All that could change in the coming weeks when a final decision is made on Ten Hag. Regardless of who is in the hotseat come August, Ratcliffe and Brailsford know who they really want next up, whether that is in the months or years to come.
