Erik ten Hag 'faces huge pay cut' as Man Utd manager despite being kept in role by Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Erik ten Hag is set to stay as Manchester United manager following the club's end-of-season review, but could face a significant pay cut if he remains in the role as expected.

Ten Hag was expected to leave United this summer after finishing eighth in the Premier League, their lowest finish since the competition began in 1992.

But, after an unlikely 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final against local rivals Manchester City, it is now expected that the Dutchman will remain Manchester United manager for the 2024/25 season.

Despite meetings between new owners INEOS and several other managers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to keep faith in Ten Hag.

However, as he heads into his third season at Old Trafford, the Dutchman is set to be forced to take a big reduction to his pay.

According to ESPN, the Dutch manager will face a 25 per cent pay cut next season after his side failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Like many of Manchester United's players, Ten Hag is believed to be on an incentivised contract which changes due to the team's performance.

While winning the FA Cup secures a place in the Europa League, failure to qualify for UEFA’s top European competition means that Ten Hag’s £9million annual contract will drop to £6.75m.

And this is not the first time this has happened at the club, with Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly expressing frustrations over taking a 25 per cent pay cut after United failed to qualify for the Champions League after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the 2021/22 campaign.

Ronaldo left in November 2022 as a free agent after a controversial interview where he criticised the club, joining Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr shortly after.

Ten Hag is set to remain United manager (Image: Getty)

However, Ten Hag could potentially avoid the pay cut as he is reportedly in talks over a new contract with United, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the upcoming season.

Another candidate considered by Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a replacement for Ten Hag was Thomas Tuchel, who departed Bayern Munich last month.

The former Chelsea boss met with United’s hierarchy last Tuesday in Monaco but has decided to take a break from the sport.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino was also considered for the job after he expressed an interest in staying in the Premier League having left Chelsea less than three weeks ago.

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