Three Erik ten Hag demands made to Sir Jim Ratcliffe – but have they been met?

Erik ten Hag had three conditions when he signed his one-year extension with the club this summer, but has the club fulfilled these demands? The Dutch manager faced criticism last season after Manchester United slumped to their worst-ever Premier League finish, however, with an FA Cup under his belt, the board and new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to stick with him.

Ten Hag signed this extension in July, which keeps him at Old Trafford until 2026. But he didn’t sign flippantly, according to The Sun. He demanded that Jadon Sancho remain sidelined until he apologised, that Benni McCarthy be given a contract extension, and that the club’s hierarchy not interfere with his style of play.

Now that the new season is well underway and the transfer window has closed, how many of the manager’s demands have been met?

Jadon Sancho’s apology

Sancho initially clashed with Ten Hag after being benched for a 3-1 loss at Arsenal. Ten Hag claimed that Sancho was left out due to a lacklustre approach to training behind the scenes, but the 24-year-old disagreed on social media.

This led to a falling out, and Sancho was eventually loaned out to the club that nurtured him into the £73million talent United thought they were acquiring Borussia Dortmund.

Ten Hag seemed have seen his demand met, and was keen on reintegrating Sancho into the squad, openly asserting to The Athletic in July: “We’ve drawn the line. Manchester United need good players, and Jadon is a good player. We have drawn that line, and we move on.”

Despite these intentions, Deadline Day drama unfolded with Sancho securing a loan switch to Chelsea, including an option to buy. The Englishman is already making an impact under coach Enzo Maresca with two assists to his name, and while Ten Hag may have settled differences, it wasn’t enough to keep the skilled winger at Old Trafford.

Extending McCarthy

McCarthy, the Premier League cult hero who joined United’s coaching staff alongside Ten Hag, often acted as a right-hand man for the Dutchman and it was requested he be extended. However, the South African decided to allow his deal at Old Trafford to run down – denying Ten Hag his wish.

Speaking to CNN, McCarthy shed light as to why he left, saying: “I think that the passion for wanting to be a head coach again brewed through. And I think that is the next step for me.”

“With the knowledge that I’ve gained, it would be amazing to manage a team on the continent [in Africa] and then try to make them reach a final when you play in the Club World Cup. That would be the aim to do that or even the MLS, that interests me a lot.”

Despite McCarthy’s departure to pursue his coaching ambitions, Manchester United have not felt his absence too keenly, thanks to the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake. Van Nistelrooy, in particular, has already earned praise for his work with United’s forwards.

United’s style

Ten Hag, 54, reportedly made it clear before committing to another year at the helm that he did not want the club’s hierarchy interfering with his style of play. This request appears to have been granted, as evidenced during United’s match against Liverpool.

Despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to their rivals, United’s players maintained a high press while in possession and left gaps in the middle of the pitch when out of possession – a tactic that new Liverpool boss Arne Slot noted was a holdover from last season.

“Their style is – this is maybe last season,” Slot told Sky Sports, indicating that Ten Hag’s tactics have remained unchanged by the club’s management.

While it’s still early days and the board’s direct impact on United’s play is yet to be determined, it can at least be said that the style has remained consistent – suggesting that Ten Hag has so far had his wish granted.