Erik ten Hag throws massive shade on Gareth Southgate at Euro 24 | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag has come back firing after a painful few weeks of waiting to hear if he still has a job as Manchester United manager.

Having interviewed at least six possible replacements for the Dutchman, part-owners Ineos decided to stick with him, at least for the time being.

This has resulted in discussions over a new contract, something Ten Hag confirmed himself when appearing on Dutch TV as a pundit yesterday.

There was little humility or relief evident in the manager’s manner as he offered his expert views on England’s opening match against Serbia, in fact, bumptious is probably the best word to describe it.

His comments about the new contract, the interviews with other candidates and Luke Shaw’s fitness are covered elsewhere, but one interesting line of conversation came after the game when he was asked to comment on England’s dour performance.

“It’s the vision of the manager [Gareth Southgate],” he said (via The Telegraph). “England will take a 1-0 lead, then he decides to start gambling with making his team compact and relying on moments for the remaining minutes of the game.”

The irony and pointedness of the comments were not lost on United fans.

In terms of irony, one thing that led Ten Hag to the brink of dismissal was his inability to make his United side compact throughout the 2023/24 season. His midfield had more holes than a colander and his side had the worst goals against record, averaged per game, in club history.

The “relying on moments” part of the comment was also ironic, given Ten Hag’s persistent use of a transitions-based system, where United ceded possession for vast periods of the game even against lower-ranked opposition, waiting for a chance to counter.

In terms of the pointedness of his comments, it was widely reported that Southgate was one of the frontrunners to take over from Ten Hag at Old Trafford. In fact, the England manager’s refusal to enter into discussions with United until after the Euros may be the one thing that saved the Dutchman’s bacon, with Ineos needing to make a decision sooner.

Ten Hag’s scathing comments about the tactical acumen of his adversary therefore had quite an edge.

Does Ten Hag still feel threatened by the spectre of Southgate looming over his shoulder? Or was it just bitterness and indignation at the very thought he came close to being replaced by such an inferior being? We cannot tell.

His confirmation that agreement over a new contract “isn’t easily done,” and that “we are still going to have to talk about this”, coupled with his general demeanour, made it plain for all to see that his relationship with his employers is now frosty to say the least.

The Dutchman is demanding a two-year deal with plenty of other stipulations, while Ineos will be looking to wrest various degrees of control from him and build in escape hatches in his contract, so a great deal of compromise will be needed to avoid an impasse.

If an agreement can’t be reached, with the Euros over, Southgate could once again become the biggest threat to Ten Hag’s future.

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