Ten Hag's Man Utd transfer U-turn as Ratcliffe steps in

Stuart Telford

• 24 Mar 2024 08:08 GMT
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag was ready to offload Scott McTominay last summer, but new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to hand the midfielder a new contract doubling his money.

Ten Hag had partnered Casemiro and Christian Eriksen at the base of his Man Utd midfield for much of last season - one that took in an EFL Cup win and third-place finish in the Premier League - and there looked to be little space for academy graduate McTominay.

Newcastle, West Ham, Bayern Munich and Celtic were all linked with a move for the Scotland international, but no transfer materialised.

READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer rumours

And now Ten Hag has had to eat humble pie. McTominay has hit nine goals from midfield and is the club's joint-top scorer, and Ratcliffe reportedly thinks he represents the future of the club.

McTominay's bumper contract

"Manchester United have decided to keep Scott McTominay - and give him a new deal in the process," reports The Daily Star's Harry Pratt.

"He can expect to a double his money to £120,000-a-week in the new contract. That will stop potential transfer interest over the summer when McTominay… will be a major figure in Scotland's challenge at the Euros in Germany."

READ MORE: Man Utd’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Ten Hag had previously taken the United job on the understanding that he would have significant say over transfers, and the arrivals of his former Ajax players Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Andre Onana suggests he has done.

Of those, only Martinez has proved his worth - prior foot and knee injuries - and the pressure is mounting on Ten Hag with the Red Devils only sixth in the table this season.

He might be in agreement with Ratcliffe about McTominay now, but the feeling is that that doesn't matter. Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate are among those who have been linked should Ratcliffe decide to replace Ten Hag at the end of the season.