Possibly missing out on Champions League football will not remain without consequences for Erik ten Hag. His position at Manchester United is already under enormous pressure, but failure to qualify for the billion-dollar ball will also mean that he will have to hand in part of his salary. English sources report ESPN that the former trainer of FC Utrecht and Ajax, among others, will earn 25% less in that case.
Ten Hag exchanged Ajax for Manchester United in the summer of 2022. De Tukker knew that he faced the enormous challenge in England to guide the club back to the national and international top. Although Manchester United and Ten Hag also had to deal with setbacks during his first season at Old Trafford, he could look back on it with a good feeling. The club won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup final and most importantly, finished fourth in the Premier League and entered the Champions League.
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However, qualification for the billion dollar ball is a long way away just under a year later. Manchester United only managed fifty points from the first 32 games, which puts them back in seventh place. The gap to Aston Villa – which has played two games more – is no less than sixteen points with six games to go. No Champions League football at Old Trafford next season is a serious scenario for Manchester United and Ten Hag. And that will mean that the manager will have to hand in a large part of his salary.
The question is currently whether Ten Hag will still be in front of the group at Old Trafford after this season. The position of head coach at the fallen superpower has been a topic of discussion for months. The names of national coach Gareth Southgate, Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi, Brentford coach Thomas Frank and Wolverhampton manager Gary O’Neil are already being put forward in England as possible candidates to succeed Ten Hag. However, Ten Hag still has an ongoing contract and according to ESPN the club is ‘currently’ preparing ‘formally’ behind the scenes to start the new season with the Dutchman.
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