Erik ten Hag faces power shift struggle with Ineos over new Manchester United contract proposal

Erik ten Hag is reluctant to cede too much power over transfers at Manchester United as he prepares for contract talks with the club.

Ineos have opted to keep Ten Hag in charge after an end-of-season review and with only a year left on his existing terms talks over an extension have commenced.

While the financial package and the length of any deal will be key to those negotiations, the most important factor will be the concessions Ten Hag is willing to make when it comes to how Ineos want to redraw the football structure at Old Trafford.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has developed plans to change how the club operates, with a sporting director set to lead on recruitment and the head coach then reporting into that figure. Ratcliffe has also appointed a technical director - Jason Wilcox - to draw up a 'game model' for a playing style to be implemented across the club.

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But having opted to keep Ten Hag, Ineos must now convince the Dutchman to either fit into that structure or accept that he will maintain the power he has held for the previous two years. Talks over a new deal will thrash those issues out and sources have said there is a genuine desire on both sides to find some middle ground.

Ten Hag was appointed United's manager in 2022 and sees himself as a traditional manager, who oversees all aspects of the football side of the business. That includes recruitment and in his two years at the club, he has been the key figure when it comes to the signing of new players as well as departures.

That desire for control on recruitment led to Ten Hag having a