Manchester United supporters are waiting to find out clarification from the club over who the next manager will be.
The wait could go on until the end of the season, with United trying to keep their hiring process as in-house as possible.
Fabrizio Romano has provided an update as he understands the situation, speaking on Tuesday on his Here We Go Podcast.
Romano said: “Contacts are ongoing. Man United are working to make their final decision. All the contacts with Erik ten Hag are very positive.
“He is well informed on everything into the club, like the potential budget, like kind of signings they want to do, so Erik ten Hag is keeping information on Man United every week and he is thinking about it, but he knows that Pochettino is still in the race.”
Weighing up his options
Ten Hag is not putting all his eggs into Manchester United’s basket, because United are not yet totally committed to him.
He is aware Pochettino is a strong option, as the man who knocked his Ajax side out of the Champions League in 2019.
Ajax would be desperate for Ten Hag to stay if he decides to, so he is in no danger of being left without a club.
The Mail reported last month Ten Hag has spoken to two other European clubs ‘that play regularly in the Champions League’, although their identity remains a mystery.
There is an element of this where neither party wants to be rejected by the other, and feels obliged to consider all options, and with Ajax’s season ongoing, Ten Hag can only devote so much time to planning for his future.
In an interview with Sport1 last week, Ten Hag said: “Manchester United is a great club with great fans. But I can only repeat myself: My full focus is completely on Ajax! We are already planning for the new season.
“I’ve sat down with Ajax after every season so far. That will also be the case this time. I can say that Ajax and Erik ten Hag are very happy with each other at the moment.”
Ten Hag won’t want to say anything which could lead to criticism from Ajax fans or Dutch pundits, and unsettle their title charge. That would be a disappointing way to go out, so he has to tread carefully.
United’s process remains ‘ongoing’, and while there may be no official announcement until mid-May, sooner or later the club have to make a choice and commit, otherwise one of Ten Hag or Pochettino could get tired of the uncertainty or commit, or in a worst case scenario, both.
