‘They spoke with Thomas Tuchel, but came to the conclusion they already have the best’: Erik ten Hag breaks his silence on keeping the Man United job – and ‘disturbance’ of his holiday

Erik ten Hag joked that Manchester United ‘disturbed’ his holiday to tell him that he would be keeping his job this summer.

The Dutchman also revealed that he is aware that the club held talks with alternative candidates, including former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel.

Ten Hag’s role as manager appeared to be under significant threat as the club’s ownership group, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, conducted a thorough review after United finished eighth in the Premier League last season – their lowest final position since 1990.

The result of that review, according to Ten Hag, was that United ‘already have the best manager’.

Ten Hag was on holiday on the Spanish island of Ibiza when he learned that he would be staying on at Old Trafford. He then flew to mainland Europe to watch Euro 2024 in Germany and was interviewed by Dutch TV channel NOS over the weekend.

Ten Hag (centre) discovered that he was keeping his job while he was on holiday in Ibiza

Speaking to NOS, Ten Hag revealed: ‘The club management came to me while I was on holiday in Ibiza. They suddenly showed up on my doorstep and told me they wanted to continue with me.’

Reflecting on the 2023-24 campaign, which ended with United beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, Ten Hag added: ‘It was a turbulent season. Never a dull moment.’

On the Ratcliffe-led review, he said: ‘As in any organisation, it is wise to evaluate. Manchester United did that too.

‘The new owner is new to football, he has taken his time.

‘They spoke with Thomas Tuchel, but came to the conclusion they already have the best manager.’

Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford had been the subject of a review led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right)

United spoke to other managers, including former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel

Ten Hag’s United finished eighth in the Premier League last season but won the FA Cup

Ten Hag has been in charge at Old Trafford since May 2022 when he arrived from Ajax.

He has so far overseen 66 victories, 31 defeats and 17 draws in 114 games, giving him a win-rate of 57.89 per cent.

That is higher than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record of 54.17 per cent but lower than that of Jose Mourinho, who won 58.33 per cent of his 144 games as United boss.

United are set to return for pre-season training during the first two weeks of July, before heading off on tour to the USA where they will take on Arsenal on July 27 in Los Angeles.

Ten Hag will be keen to bolster his squad before then. Several areas require reinforcements, most notably central defence and defensive midfield.