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SILENT BOSS: Sir Jim Ratcliffe Leaves 7-Hour Showdown Talks on Ten Hag’s Future at Man United Without Giving an Update, Slips Out via Rear Exit.TĐ
SIR JIM RATCLIFFE gave no update on Erik ten Hag’s future following SEVEN HOURS of talks with Manchester United bosses in London on Tuesday.
The Red Devils’ co-owner met with several key club chiefs in the capital following a dismal start to the season.
The Ineos chief, 71, did not stop to answer questions
He was seen arriving at the London meeting on Tuesday
But Ratcliffe gave no update on Erik ten Hag’s future
Ten Hag has overseen Man Utd’s worst ever start to a Premier League season
He was seen arriving for the meeting at around 9:30am, while Sir Dave Brailsford and sporting director Dan Ashworth were also spotted heading into the building.
Man Utd have their worst ever return from the opening seven Premier League games, picking up just eight points and languishing in 14th place.
Without a win in five matches in all competitions, Ten Hag heads into the international break with his future uncertain.
However, Ratcliffe offered no insight into the manager’s position after the meeting.
The Ineos chief, 71, left the venue via a rear exit at 4:45pm.
He then whizzed off in a car with blacked out windows, refusing to stop and answer questions.
This leaves fans no closer to learning whether Ten Hag will still be in charge come their next game against Brentford at Old Trafford on October 19.
Ratcliffe’s right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, right, was also in attendance at the meeting
Sporting director Dan Ashworth was also at the showdown talks
He will be entitled to a £17.5million pay-off, one of the biggest in Man Utd’s history.
If Ten Hag is dismissed, he is set for a huge pay-off having penned a one-year extension in the summer.
Ten Hag’s assistant and club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy is favourite to become the next Man Utd boss on an interim basis.
Former England boss Gareth Southgate, ex-Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel, former Chelsea head coach Graham Potter, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and former Liverpool target Ruben Amorim are among the other contenders.
Man Utd considered replacing Ten Hag in the summer after the club finished eighth – their lowest-ever position in Premier League history.
But a 2-1 FA Cup final win over rivals Manchester City, adding to his 2023 Carabao Cup, temporarily saved Ten Hag from the axe.
Club representatives discussed Thomas Frank and Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement during the 54-year-old’s trip to the FA Cup final.
During a July end-of-season evaluation, club executives reportedly interviewed Tuchel and explored for options.
But in the end, United made a stunning about face in June when Brailsford took a plane to Ibiza for a four-hour meeting at Ten Hag’s house.
Now, though, the Dutchman’s time may be over following an awful start to the season.
And while the unemployed coach looks for a way back into football, Tuchel has once more been mentioned as a potential successor.