'He's got to accept..' - Manchester United legend's intriguing view on Erik ten Hag decision

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has had his say on the decision to retain Erik ten Hag as manager - and has welcomed the stability that comes with it.

United decided it was best for Ten Hag to remain in his job as United manager following their end-of-season review, with their FA Cup final victory over Man City viewed as a huge endorsement of his untapped potential in the role. As part of the thorough performance review of the previous campaign the 'clear conclusion' was for Ten Hag to remain in the role, while club sources also confirmed they had entered negotiations on a contract extension.

Reflecting on the decision - speaking to Sky Sports News - Neville said: "It's one of those that's not perfect, waiting two and a half weeks after the end of the season, and quite obviously flirting with other managers in the mean time. “But I believe because he had such a disappointing season in the league, the club were well within their rights to be able to see what was out there in the market. But as we all know, the manager market has been quite difficult for a number of top clubs in Europe, and I'm happy they're maintained that stability into next season.

“I think they've come to the right conclusion, but they were within their rights to look at other options. The fact Ten Hag knows they looked at other options is not ideal, but he's got to accept when you finished where they did, there is a chance you could lose your job - so he should be happy, the club should be happy.

“The big thing for me is looking at Man Utd changing owners, sporting director, CEO, technical director and CFO, the five or six major positions, to have some stability in the football side is a sensible thing. It allows those people not in the club yet to build the foundations underneath the football side.”

Neville added: “Having to settle in a new manager in at the same time would've been more difficult. Any new manager would've said they wanted to look at the playing staff, they'd want new players, a transfer budget which Man Utd don't quite have at the moment because of PSR. It's a sensible thing for the club, and the right thing for Erik Ten Hag.”