Ten Hag stays, but what next for Man Utd?published at 17:57 12 June
Bill Rice
BBC Radio Manchester sports editor
So, 17 days after Manchester United ended their season with victory over Manchester City, it has finally emerged Erik ten Hag will stay as boss.
The Dutchman is understood to be delighted, although it is thought he was becoming irritated with how long the board's season review was taking.
Supporters remain behind him, not particularly convinced names linked with the job - Mauricio Pochettino, Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter - would have been an upgrade.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel did meet United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but he opted to drop out of the running, making it more straightforward to retain Ten Hag.
Indeed, all eventualities were considered, and the board's clear preference was for the 54-year-old to remain in post.
So unlike his compatriot Louis van Gaal, sacked after his United side lifted the FA Cup, Ten Hag has survived, despite their worst Premier League season.
He is not the first United manager to save his job by winning the FA Cup and parallels with Sir Alex Ferguson in 1990 are clear.
Back then, Ferguson's job was on the line after finishing 13th with a minus goal difference, but after winning the cup, he did not look back. The rest, as they say, is history.
It took a while, though. The next season Ferguson's United improved slightly, but still only won 16 of their 38 league games in finishing sixth. However, they did lift the European Cup Winners' Cup by beating Barcelona in Rotterdam.
If Ten Hag can mastermind glory in the Europa League next season, it would surely endear him even more to supporters - but to survive long term at Old Trafford, he will need their league form to improve considerably too.
The FA Cup final demonstrated what United can achieve when their players are fit and available, and how the manager's tactics can be effective.
The futures of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford will now be of primary concern, along with defensive reinforcements to ensure they do not suffer the kind of injury crisis again that blighted this campaign.