"If they don't want me here, I'll go somewhere else to win trophies" - Manchester United boss Ten Hag after FA Cup final win
Following their FA Cup win, Manchester United gaffer Erik ten Hag stated that he'll move to another club to win trophies if he's sacked in the coming days. The Red Devils defeated defending champions Manchester City 2-1 to win the FA Cup at Wembley on May 25, Saturday.
Interestingly, the clash was a recap of last year's edition of the FA Cup final which ended 2-1 in Manchester City's favour. This time around, however, the match ended with United bagging their first and only trophy of the season.
The Red Devils entered the clash off the back of a harrowing Premier League season. They finished eighth in the league, which was their worst-ever finish. Following the culmination of the season, reports surfaced suggesting that Ten Hag would be sacked.
The Dutch manager has broken silence on the reports, saying he's concentrated on winning and will win trophies elsewhere if he's sacked. Here's what he said (via The Peoples Person):
"I don’t think about that [job security]. I am in a project, exactly where we want to be. When I took over it was a mess. We are on our way to construct a team for the future. We’ll go with ups and downs. What you see is that the team is developing, winning trophies and an identity.
"We have high potentials, high value, progressing well, two trophies and two finals. I’m not satisfied with it, we’ll do better but if they don’t want me here, I’ll go somewhere else to win trophies because that’s what I did my whole career."
The Manchester United gaffer said that he's won trophies before but winning the FA Cup was on his bucket list. He added:
"It is a huge trophy and I’m so happy we won this trophy with the players, the team, and the staff because it’s a real team performance."
Erik ten Hag has now won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club. Manchester United had won the Carabao Cup last year after defeating Newcastle United 2-0 in the final.
Manchester United qualify for the Europa League
Manchester United have also booked their place in next season's edition of the UEFA Europa League following their FA Cup win.
Chelsea, who held the spot earlier, have been demoted to the UEFA Europa Conference League. They finished sixth in the Premier League but will have to compete in a two-legged playoff for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Newcastle United, who finished seventh, are now out of Europe for next season.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils last won the Europa League in 2017 when they defeated Ajax 2-0 in the final. Interestingly, Ten Hag managed the Dutch side at the time. Be that as it may, it remains to be seen if the Dutchman will be sacked in the coming days despite the FA Cup win, as per The Guardian.