ERIK TEN HAG signed a contract extension with Manchester United in July, but could now be due a huge payout if he is sacked.
New minority club chiefs Ineos – headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – backed the Dutchman to turn things around after a difficult season beset by a raft injuries.
United registered their lowest-ever position in the Premier League by finishing eighth and came plum last in their Champions League group, with only victory in the FA Cup providing any reason to cheer.
Ten Hag, 54, was handed an extension to his previously existing deal that brings his expiry date up to June 2026.
However, having won just three of their opening eight games in all competitions this season along with some dreadful team performances, the pressure is well and truly mounting.
Despite calls for his head from outside the club, reports suggest that internally bosses are still willing to back the former Ajax manager for the time being.
Ten Hag has pivotal games against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the league this week, which could ultimately determine his position after the international break.
But according to a report from Goal, it will cost United £17.5million to give Ten Hag the boot.
This is thought to be £7.5m more than the £10m it would have cost to part ways in June.
It is also around half the value of the money saved by the club after making 250 members of staff redundant earlier this year.
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Ten Hag himself has said he is not worried about his future, saying: “No, I’m not thinking about this.
“We all made this decision to stay together, as an ownership, as a leadership group in the summer.
“Also we made the decision from a clear review what we have to improve as an organisation, but we knew it will take some time.
“We are all on one page, or in one boat, together – the ownership, the leadership group, the staff and the players as well. I don’t have that concern.
SunSport's DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag's time at Man Utd is up… and explains what's wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
“Of course, there is always a new game, it will be a new day. We will bounce back.”
A lack of viable options in the managerial market was cited as one of the reasons behind the club sticking with Ten Hag.
However, talk of his potential replacement – such as former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, ex-England boss Gareth Southgate or assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – have grown in recent weeks.
