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Paul Scholes believes Manchester United have made a positive decision in choosing to retain Erik ten Hag, which demonstrates a break with the past.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, the former United midfielder was asked whether the one-year contract extension the Dutch manager signed in June was a “positive” for the club.
“I hope he had time to do the right thing!”
Paul Scholes on Erik Ten Hag continuing his reign as Manchester United manager
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— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 25, 2024
Scholes replied: “Yes, I think so,” before going on to reference how many “times” United have “changed managers” as a negative pattern of behaviour at Old Trafford over the past decade.
Ten Hag is the fifth permanent manager appointed by United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, with three additional caretaker managers also taking charge following the sacking of the other four permanent managers.
Scholes believes it is impossible to “get a real sense” of what these managers are like without giving them support “for three, four, five years”.
Now that Ten Hag has been given the guarantee of a two-year stay at United, Scholes is optimistic that faith will be rewarded with performances on the pitch. “I hope he’s had the time to get it right,” concluded the 49-year-old pundit.
Towards the end of last season, it seemed like Ten Hag was a dead man walking.
Embarrassing exits from the Champions League and Carabao Cup were preceded by a dismal league showing, with United finishing in 8th place with a negative goal difference, nine points adrift of fourth place.
However, a late recovery saw Ten Hag oversee back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Brighton & Hove Albion in the league, before a fantastic FA Cup triumph over bitter local rivals Manchester City at Wembley.
The spirit of that performance in the capital, as well as United’s flawless execution of the Dutchman’s game plan, no doubt played a major role in convincing INEOS of the merits of sticking with their manager as the club’s new bosses conducted a comprehensive ‘end of season’ review to decide their next move.
While INEOS executives held talks with several managers about taking the reins at Old Trafford, they eventually decided they already had the best option at the club. A one-year extension for Ten Hag followed immediately.
The former Ajax player will now have the chance to recapture the positivity he managed to bring back to Old Trafford in his debut season in English football; but The Person of the People imagine that INEOS’ patience will be as short as the Glazers’ in the past if performance and results do not improve next season.
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