THERE’S no such thing as a long-term contract and very few managers remain at a club for more than two years. José Mourinho was the man that left after two seasons, but in truth, everyone is now a temporary appointment, regardless of the length of their contract.  Mourinho was certainly ahead of his time. Erik ten Hag, Manchester United’s current manager, was supposed to be sacked after the end of 2023-24 season; the media thought so, the fans assumed so, ten Hag probably expected it and social media was crowing for it. 

Furthermore, a list of potential replacements were hitting the press every day. Gareth Southgate, Thomas Tuchel, Thomas Frank, Kieran Mckenna and Graham Potter were all linked to the Dutchman’s job. While all this was going on, Erik ten Hag was expected to carry on and try and salvage something from a mostly miserable campaign for United. Even on the day of the FA Cup final against Manchester City, the news was very clear: Erik ten Hag will be sacked after the final.

United’s new regime, spearheaded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, conducted a performance review of their manager where all options were considered. Again, the public humiliation of Erik ten Hag continued in a way that would be unacceptable in any other industry. At the end of it, news came out of Old Trafford that Erik was not going to be sacked, after all, and a new contract was a possibility. Just how ludicrous is football when it comes to the way it treats employees?

Let’s not forget that Erik ten Hag’s current contract runs to June 2025, so any early termination would come with compensation and, one assumes, the obligatory non-disclosure agreement. In truth, it was never a natural appointment and from the moment he joined the club talk of his departure has been an ever-present topic.

And yet, his win rate of 57.89% is better than any post-Ferguson hiring and has only been bettered by Sir Alex (59.67%). He has been in the role two years and has won a trophy in both seasons, beating the middle-eastern backed duo of Newcastle United and Manchester City. Ten Hag’s problem is United are struggling to live up to their mythical status which includes a certain style of football. They also mismanaged the transitional period that followed Ferguson’s retirement and despite being huge spenders, have failed to build a genuine title-challenging side. The club has been at war with its owners and their iconic home ground has fallen behind the super stadiums of Europe. They make, in relative terms, huge amounts of money, but they do not seem to spend it well. Above all, United have lost that vital ingredient – the joie de vivre that was long associated with the club. Sadly, Erik ten Hag is, to some extent, a victim of United’s decline.

How does he feel today, knowing that his status has evolved from “dead man walking” to someone who may be given a contract extension after months of “will he, won’t he”?. Winning the FA Cup may have been the real reason behind the severance contract being placed in the locked drawer for the time being. The cynics would suggest that it is simply a stay of execution and it is likely that his status will change game-by-game in 2024-25.

This situation is by no means exclusive to Manchester United. Displays of public disloyalty are rife across European football. Look at Xavi and Barcelona. First, he was leaving, then he was staying and the management of the club visibly rejoiced. Then, at the end of the campaign, he was sacked over some comments he made about the club’s financial position. Was this the plan all along? Was Xavi’s premature announcement considered to be detrimental to the team’s morale, so it was effectively withdrawn until the La Liga season was over? And then there’s Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, a club that seems to have taken a vow of self destruction. He turned a pools’ winner’s team (“spend, spend, spend”) into a consistent unit in the latter stages of the season and they even managed to qualify for Europe. But for months there were rumblings that “Poch” was going to be sacked in the close season – just one year after joining the club. 

It was unprofessional to allow this behaviour to prevail, but the various forces that influence football make it difficult to avoid. There are possibly four elements involved in leaking and promoting “outcome possibilities”; agents who want something to change for their clients; clubs looking to exit a difficult situation; the individuals themselves who want rumour to do their work for them; and social media.

The trend these days is for clubs to announce –  a week or two in advance – that their coach is leaving at the end of the season. Already around 30% of the clubs in Europe’s top five leagues will go into 2024-25 with a new manager and there will be more to follow. This very uncertain world has created a new animal – the unwanted top job. Who would have predicted a few years ago that a top Premier League job would be turned down by a manager on his way up the ladder? How many coaches would have put the “not interested” message out there after being approached by an elite club? The most lucrative positions now come with so much complexity and interference that money doesn’t necessarily make it worthwhile. A career-defining role at a troubled institution or one that is battling with its own identity, can be damaging. It takes a strong character to deal with these clubs.