Ineos admiration of Gareth Southgate complicates Manchester United managerial decision

Manchester United are still yet to make a final decision on the future of manager Erik ten Hag almost two weeks since their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

United's end-of-season review is still ongoing with the club weighing up every realistic option available to them before they finally make a firm commitment either way on the future of the Dutchman. Ten Hag has been on holiday since the day after the Wembley victory and isn't involved in discussions regarding the review.

It is well documented that United have been conducting background checks on a number of different candidates in anticipation of a possible managerial change as they try to gauge whether any candidate would be better suited to the role than Ten Hag. If they were to dismiss Ten Hag, then Ineos would like to have assurances that a replacement is lined up to take the job, something else which is understood to be delaying the final decision.

ManchesterWorld understand that in an ideal world, England manager Gareth Southgate is viewed as the number one choice for the role, but his involvement at the European Championship this summer complicates any possible appointment.

Southgate's current deal runs until the end of the year, and while he has reiterated his full focus is on the job in hand with England this summer, he might be tempted to make a return to club management, 15 years after leaving Middlesbrough.

The England manager was a boyhood United fan and is admired by many key figures at Ineos, who believe he would be perfect for the head coach role they are looking to implement. It is understood Southgate would be interested in the role at some point in his career, though he would require assurances on the level of power he would possess when it comes to making key decisions.

Much of the internal debate around Ten Hag is whether or not he has really had a fair crack at things given the structural issues around him and he could still keep the job for the start of next season. There is an argument he has achieved as much as any other manager could have done given the injury issues he has faced, though some performances have been deemed unacceptable, regardless of the available personnel.

Yet, even with a revamped football structure and plans to improve all areas of the club, there would be even more scrutiny on results and performances if Ten Hag is unable to deliver them as part of a functioning set-up.

Additional reporting from Michael Plant.