After winning a FA Cup title one day after reports he would be sacked, Erik ten Hag was in a buoyant mood. It was hard to blame him.
Just hours after The Guardian reported that the Manchester United manager would be sacked regardless of whether he pulled off an FA Cup final upset, Ten Hag’s side did just that, stunning Manchester City 2-1 in Saturday’s clash at Wembley.
Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored for the Red Devils, who stunned their arch-rivals in the final game of the season.
After the match, Ten Hag was defiant when confronted with the report that his time at the club was done.
“Two trophies in two seasons and three finals,” he said. “It’s not that bad. If they don’t want me, I’ll go somewhere else to win trophies, because that’s what I’ve done all throughout my career.”
Ten Hag led United to a third-place finish in the Premier League last season, his first in charge of the team. This year, though, the Red Devils only managed to finish eighth.
But as the Dutch manager mentioned, he has been hugely successful in domestic cup competitions. United won the Carabao Cup last season, beating Newcastle in the final. The Red Devils also reached the FA Cup final in 2022-23, falling to Man City.
One season later though, United got its revenge against its biggest rival in the final.
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