Inside Ten Hag's first public appearance since keeping Man United job

Erik ten Hag made his first public appearance since keeping his job at Manchester United on Sunday, and immediately sounded a warning to the club over his future.

Confirmation arrived last Tuesday that United had opted to stick with Ten Hag following an end-of-season review, despite the Red Devils finishing eighth in the Premier League last term.

After winning the FA Cup to rescue his side's campaign, Ten Hag has been trusted to take the team forward, and talk has turned to him signing a new deal.

But Ten Hag cast doubt over this on Sunday night while working as a pundit for Dutch TV, revealing that he is still yet to put pen to paper on an extension as he explained how he found out he was staying at Old Trafford.

'Manchester United disturbed my holiday, they suddenly stood at my doorstep,' Ten Hag said on NOS. 'They [Manchester United] flew to me in Ibiza.

'INEOS took their time. They are new in football, it's normal to reflect [on] the season. It's no secret that they talked with multiple candidates. Here in Holland this is 'not done', in fact, it's not even allowed here. But in England they have different rules and laws.

'Manchester United have told me that they spoke with [Thomas] Tuchel, but they eventually came to the conclusion that they already have the best manager.

'Manchester United and I still have to find an agreement for the new contract. This isn't easily done, we are still going to have to talk about this.'

It is understood that Ten Hag's ability to get the best out of young players such as Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho worked in his favour when Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co made their final decision to keep him.

But one player that lost his way under Ten Hag in 2023-24 was Marcus Rashford, resulting in the winger missing out on England's Euro 2024 squad.

Reflecting on Rashford's omission, Ten Hag admitted Rashford and Jack Grealish - another notable absentee - could have few complaints after failing to perform over the past 12 months.

'Grealish & Rashford were both lacking this season. And when you are lacking, you risk not getting picked for your country,' Ten Hag said bluntly.

Getting Rashford back to his best is likely to be a priority for Ten Hag next season, as he watched an England side without the winger struggle to a 1-0 win against Serbia on Sunday night to make a winning start to their Euro 2024 campaign.

The Three Lions took an early lead through Jude Bellingham, who Ten Hag described as 'fantastic' and 'the drive of England', but then proceeded to sit back for long periods rather than looking to extend their advantage.

Ten Hag believes England have the players to go all the way in Germany, but was thoroughly unimpressed by Gareth Southgate's tactics.

Southgate is admired by part-owners INEOS, with Sir Dave Brailsford being a particularly big fan of his, but Ten Hag slammed his approach to Sunday's match.

'England has a fantastic squad, they are favourites for a reason,' Ten Hag claimed.

'They have the best midfield of all countries in the Euros. They've got Harry Kane as their striker. On the wings they have an incredible amount of quality.'

Assessing their opening performance, Ten Hag added: 'England were playing very passive. I actually saw them moving backwards, they kept Serbia coming at them.

'It's the vision of the manager [Southgate]. England will take a 1-0 lead, then he [Southgate] decides to start gambling with making his team compact and relying on moments for the remaining minutes of the game.'

Ten Hag finished last season in a prickly mood as he fought his corner in the face of criticism from the media and pundits.

His future was hanging in the balance until last week, and it appears it may still need to be completely clarified as he looks to ensure he is on the same page as United''s owners.

If his words on Sunday night are anything to go by, he has no intention of staying quietly.