Erik ten Hag opens up on confrontation with Ineos over Manchester United manager decision

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag admits communication from Ineos "decreased" during the final weeks of last season and he held a "confrontational conversation" about his role.

United's stunning FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in their final game of the season spared Ten Hag after Ineos had sounded out several potential managers to replace him.

Ten Hag left the country for his summer holiday the day after the final and, following a 17-day end-of-season review, was visited by a United delegation in Ibiza, where they informed him of their decision to retain him.

In an interview with AD, Ten Hag was asked if he knew what would happen after the final and replied: "No. Except that I still had a year left on my contract.

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"But when communication decreases at some point, you naturally feel that. It was clear: there was less communication during that period. Whereas before, it was always there and good too. I had to initiate communication more often. Even after the final.

"Of course, it’s a strange situation. But I didn’t panic. Why? It’s a decision that wasn’t in my hands. I just waited it out. You think in two scenarios at that moment: either we continue, or we don’t. It’s that simple, and I’m pragmatic enough to see it that way.

"The communication did fall away, yes. But I just celebrated my vacation with my loved ones and let things come to me. I have no control over that.

"They (Ineos) didn’t say 'we want to continue' but we want to continue. The argument they gave was briefly, 'we’ve looked at everything and put it all together but we think we already have