Ten Hag remains but so too do questions over his level of boardroom support at Man United

Neither walk to the right solution, nor run to the wrong one, but stick with the manager whose job it already was in the first place.

That is not quite how Sir Jim Ratcliffe put it when setting out Manchester United’s new modus operandi back in February, upon the announcement of his minority investment.

But it is ultimately how the most important decision — and most important decision-making process — of the INEOS era so far played out.

United’s end-of-season review has concluded with Erik ten Hag remaining as manager, despite the club’s hierarchy at one stage reaching a consensus that a change was necessary.

The writing had appeared to be on the wall for Ten Hag after a meeting in Monaco a month ago, following the narrow defeat at home to Arsenal. A change of manager was recommended that evening and although that was not a final decision, it set the wheels in motion for Ten Hag to be replaced at the end of the season, if not earlier.

An uptick in results convinced the United hierarchy to allow Ten Hag to take charge of the FA Cup final. The club interviewed potential replacements in the build-up to the victory at Wembley and continued to do so afterwards.

Over the weekend, talks with Thomas Tuchel and then with Roberto De Zerbi both progressed to the point of discussing their prospective salaries. And yet on both occasions, those talks ended without agreement. Neither were viewed as the right fit.

And so, as Sir Alex Ferguson almost once said, United have decided to stand by their old manager.

Whether or not INEOS have come to the correct decision, it is certainly the popular choice. Victory at Wembley solidified Ten Hag’s strong approval ratings among supporters and though the warm glow of another trophy win has subsided over the past fortnight, few wanted him to be dismissed.

But as well as the backing of the fans, can Ten Hag fully trust in the support of the club’s hierarchy?

That would be a simple question to answer if the end-of-season review had merely been a careful and considered weighing up of Ten Hag’s pros and cons, balancing the lowest finish of the Premier League era against the high of Wembley, before eventually settling on him keeping his job.

Instead, United simultaneously courted Tuchel and De Zerbi, having also held exploratory talks with Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank, Mauricio Pochettino and Marco Silva in the weeks leading up to the FA Cup final.

It is hard to be overly critical of INEOS for that. They were, at that stage, minded to change manager and circumstances dictated they had to move quickly. Vacancies had emerged at Brighton and Chelsea. Some candidates were in demand, others unexpectedly available. Waiting was not an option.

In that case, quickly dispensing with Ten Hag might have been kinder than leaving him in the lurch. But that too would have had drawbacks, increasing pressure on the pursuit of his replacement and leaving United open to the risk of being left with a vacancy to fill deep into the summer.

And so United assessed the field of candidates while keeping Ten Hag in the dark, an approach that could only end awkwardly if a suitable replacement did not emerge and they decided to stand by their incumbent after all. Ah.

As a result, although Ten Hag remains, so too do questions over his level of boardroom support. United will begin the first full campaign under INEOS’ influence with a manager who fans know the hierarchy had at one stage agreed to dispense with.

This has always been a marriage of convenience but those are hardly the foundations for a happily ever after, and elements of this process frustrated Ten Hag. It is only fair, then, that INEOS have understood the need for contrition and attempted to smooth relations over in the form of a new contract.

Talks are under way. The past fortnight has potentially handed Ten Hag leverage on points of contention regarding his influence over transfers, the make-up of his backroom staff and the club-wide implementation of a style of play, although much is up for negotiation.

If a new deal is agreed, it would mark a quite incredible turnaround for a manager who was very much on the brink. Whatever doubts, questions or frustrations there have been during this process will then need to be put to one side in the spirit of collaboration.

And maybe then it can still work. After all, in public at least, Ratcliffe has repeatedly played down Ten Hag’s responsibility for United’s mediocrity and the club’s decade of decline. Fixing the structure, he has always said, is of greater importance.

“There have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good, and none of them were successful or survived for very long. And you can’t blame all the coaches,” United’s minority owner said in February.

“The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were working didn’t work, and Erik’s been in that environment. I’m talking about the organisation, the people in the structure, and the atmosphere in the club.”

This has always been one of the strongest arguments in favour of keeping Ten Hag. If INEOS diagnosed United’s decade of decline to be predominantly of a structural nature rather than down to any one manager, why not give him the opportunity to work within that new, elite environment?

Ten Hag now has that opportunity. If INEOS deliver a ‘best in class’ organisation around him, he will have few excuses to fail. But after the slightly messy way in which his future has finally been settled, Ten Hag is not the only one at Old Trafford heading into next season with something to prove.