Done Deal: Man United extend Ten Hag’s contract until 2026

Erik ten Hag has extended his contract with Manchester United, the club confirmed on Thursday. Ten Hag’s previous deal was set to expire in 2025, but United has exercised the option for an additional year, keeping him at the club until 2026.

Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos colleagues were reportedly considering sacking Ten Hag until United’s stunning victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Since taking over in May 2022, Ten Hag has won both the League Cup and the FA Cup, and his team finished third in the Premier League in his first season. However, United dropped to eighth last term, marking their worst finish in 34 years.

Discussions about revamping Ten Hag’s backroom staff are ongoing, with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake expected to join him at Old Trafford.

“I am very pleased to have reached an agreement with the club to continue working together,” Ten Hag said.

“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined. However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

‘In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”

United’s new sporting director Dan Ashworth added: “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football,” Ashworth said.

“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently. With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”