Under-fire Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has dropped a pair of hints that he could stay on at Old Trafford next term, in spite of claims that the Red Devils have decided to sack him.
The former Ajax head coach will lead his players out at Wembley for Saturday afternoon's FA Cup final against Manchester City, a repeat of the 2023 showpiece which Pep Guardiola's men won 2-1.
However, a successful revenge mission would see Man United clinch their second trophy in two seasons under Ten Hag, who masterminded an EFL Cup triumph in his first year at the helm.
That victory has merely papered over the cracks at Old Trafford, though, as Man United's Premier League and Champions League displays in 2023-24 left a lot to be desired, while the defence of their EFL Cup crown also ended at the hands of Newcastle United in the fourth round.
Consequently, Man United - whose footballing operations are now in the hands of Sir Jim Ratcliffe - have supposedly decided to give Ten Hag the boot at the end of the season, regardless of the result of Saturday's FA Cup final.
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Ten Hag makes "next season" claim
The Dutchman's contract at the Theatre of Dreams still has another year left to run, but ever since Ratcliffe completed his 27.7% purchase of the club in December, he has stopped short of giving Ten Hag a public vote of confidence.
However, speaking to Dutch outlet Voetbal International - as quoted by Fabrizio Romano - Ten Hag has claimed that Ratcliffe's INEOS regime have told him that they are planning to work alongside him during their wide-scale rebuild.
"INEOS told me that they want to change everything and that they want to rebuild with me. This is what they told me directly," the 54-year-old explained, having also raised eyebrows with a similar admission at his pre-FA Cup final press conference.
Asked if there are any imminent discussions scheduled over his future, Ten Hag replied: "No, we already did that. Sunday, I go on holiday. I think I deserved it. It's not necessary. We go for next season."
Victory for Man United on Saturday would take the club up to 68 wins from 114 matches under the tutelage of Ten Hag, but their eighth-placed Premier League ranking is their worst in history.
Who are the frontrunners to replace Ten Hag?
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The managerial merry-go-round is already in full swing as Ten Hag attempts to block any outside noise from reaching his players, some of whom supposedly feel that the Dutchman will not be in charge of the reins next season.
While a plethora of revered head coaches are set to be available, Man United are now understood to have set their sights on Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna, previously an assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Michael Carrick at Old Trafford.
McKenna is believed to be open to the Man United gig, although Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion - who have parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi respectively - are also interested in the promotion-winning Northern Irishman.
Pochettino and De Zerbi could both be options for Man United - the former seems to be higher on INEOS' wishlist - while Thomas Tuchel is on the hunt for a new stomping ground after leaving Bayern Munich.
Links with England head coach Gareth Southgate have gone slightly cold, though, and Zinedine Zidane - supposedly Ratcliffe's dream candidate - is still proving unattainable.
