Erik ten Hag to remain head coach of Manchester United till 2026

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension as the head coach of the club.

The Premier League club, in a statement, confirmed ten Hag’s extension. He will now be helming the club till the end of the 2025-26 season.

There were several reports of ten Hag not being in the race after Manchester United finished eighth, their worst league finish in 34 years. Although ten Hag led United to two trophies in his first two years, he had a horrid outing in his third year as a manager.

He joined United from Ajax in 2022 and won the English League Cup in his first year in England. He followed it with an FA Cup title after beating rival Manchester City in the final a few months ago.

The club decided to continue with the Dutchman and he will lead the team for the next two seasons.

Ten Hag said, while he was happy to continue, there is a lot of hard work to be done in the upcoming season. “Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined. However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles. In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together,” the head coach said.

United Sporting Director Dan Ashworth said the Dutchman is one of the most consistent and successful coaches in European football and he is the right person to take United forward, aligning with the club’s ambitions. “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football. While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes. This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently,” Ashworth said, in a statement shared by the club.