Erik ten Hag described his first meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe as “very positive” but admitted he still has much to learn about the billionaire’s plans for Manchester United.
Ratcliffe’s INEOS group will assume control of footballing operations once his purchase of a 25 per cent stake in the club has been ratified in the coming weeks, and he has been in Manchester this week for a series of meetings with club staff.
The meetings have been described as an opportunity for Ratcliffe, as well as senior INEOS officials Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, to get to know the club before they start work in earnest.
“It was very positive, I have to say,” Ten Hag said. “We had a long meeting, many hours we sit together and on many issues we are on the same page so it was very positive.
“I think from both sides it was a very constructive meeting and we look forward to working with them.”
But asked if he had been able to gain a clear idea of what might change under Ratcliffe, Ten Hag said: “We have to let it settle down. They’re just coming in, introducing themselves.
“They have good ideas. We have to see what we can integrate. In togetherness we will work on that but after one day you can’t tell that.
“They have given me a few (ideas), we have had our debates about strategies and I think we will come together.”
Ten Hag would not be drawn on reports that winger Jadon Sancho is close to returning to Borussia Dortmund on a loan until the end of the season.
He has not featured since August after a public falling out with Ten Hag and his refusal to apologise for a social media post in which the 23-year-old said he had been made a “scapegoat”.
A January exit has long been expected and Dortmund, the club Sancho left to join United in a £73million deal in 2021, have emerged as the leading contenders for his signature.
“I can’t say anything about that,” Ten Hag said. “We have to wait and see how things are going and when we have news, of course, we will tell you.”
Ten Hag did confirm that United have triggered contract extensions for Victor Lindleof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Hannibal Mejbri, but they have entered discussions with Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial rather than take up options in their deals, which expire in the summer.
Martial is widely expected to leave the club in the summer, while it has been reported that United are hoping to persuade Varane to accept reduced terms if he is to sign a new deal.
“We are talking with Rapha Varane, with Anthony Martial, and we triggered the options on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof and Hannibal,” Ten Hag said.
Asked why contract options had not been triggered for Varane and Martial, Ten Hag said: “I think that is an internal discussion between the club and the players.”
Meanwhile, Ten Hag said he still does not know yet if goalkeeper Andre Onana will be available for next weekend’s Premier League match against Tottenham, saying only that he can feature in Monday’s FA Cup tie away to Wigan.
It is understood that the Cameroonian football association has agreed to allow the 27-year-old to join up late for their African Cup of Nations campaign, which starts on January 15, but Ten Hag stopped short of confirming he will play at Old Trafford next weekend.
“We’re talking with the Cameroon federation,” Ten Hag said. “It was an issue during the talks with Andre when he came in here. It’s constructive. We will see. I don’t know yet (for Spurs) but he will be here for the game against Wigan.”
Jardel "Shortman" Williams joins SV Transvaal in Suriname: A step toward his football dreams
Jardel ‘Shortman’ Williams, a promising 20-year-old attacking midfielder, is set to leave Jamaica for Suriname where he will play with Suriname's SV Transvaal. The young talent, who had been one a one-year contract with Jamaica Premier League outfit, Humble Lion FC, has inked a two-year contract with the Surinamese club starting October 1, 2024, and is eager to embark on this new chapter of his football career.
Williams, who represented Camperdown High School during the 2021 Manning Cup season, sees this move as a pivotal moment in his development. "I am really excited to go and play for SV Transvaal," Williams shared with Sportsmax.TV. "Personally, it’s a boost for my career because moving from Humble Lion, this will be good exposure for me, and I am looking to go further in football."
Though excited, the transition comes with its challenges. Williams, who has never been to Suriname and will be living away from his family for the first time, admits to being nervous. "Yes, but I will have to adjust, and I am willing to adjust to make it happen. My immediate goal is to first of all adjust as quickly as possible so that I can help the team with my abilities in the best way I can, and hopefully win the title and more trophies."
SV Transvaal, based in Paramaribo, is one of Suriname’s most decorated football clubs. Established in 1925, the club boasts 19 league championships and two CONCACAF Champions Cup victories, achieved in 1973 and 1981. Williams’ addition to the squad is expected to further bolster their pursuit of more domestic and international success.
Despite the challenges, Williams is focused on his long-term ambitions, which include playing in the English Premier League. A devoted fan of Liverpool FC, he admires the team's counter-attacking style. "The team is filled with great players, and their style of play, counter-attacking football, I like that about Liverpool," he explained. "Eventually, I want to end up in England, and it would be a dream come true to play for Liverpool."
In addition to his club aspirations, Williams hopes to don the national colours of Jamaica someday. "It is every footballer’s dream to represent their country. For me, it would be really, really great to represent Jamaica," he said.
Hailing from Rose Town in Kingston, Williams' journey hasn’t been without its ups and downs. His standout year came in 2021, when he led Camperdown High School to an unbeaten run in the Manning Cup group stage, only for the team to be disqualified after it was deemed to have used an ineligible player. Nevertheless, his performances caught the attention of many, setting the stage for his transition to the professional arena.
With this new opportunity at SV Transvaal, Williams is on the cusp of what he hopes will be the first of many steps toward realizing his football dreams.
Southgate not planning on swift return to management
Gareth Southgate will not be taking another management job within the next year, and he is unlikely to work with another national team.
Southgate resigned as England manager following the Three Lions' 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, bringing to an end an 11-year association with the FA.
The 54-year-old was in charge of the senior team for eight years and, within that period, led them to the finals of both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, as well as the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
In terms of tournament performance, he was the most successful England manager since Alf Ramsey, who led England to the 1966 World Cup – their only major honour.
"Sometimes when you are in a big role you don't realise the weight until it's gone," Southgate told the European Club Association's general assembly, as reported by Reuters.
"It is one of those jobs where everybody has an opinion."
On life after the England job, Southgate was relaxed about where his next move would be. Despite that, he made it clear that he wasn’t going to take any coaching job in the near future.
"I am enjoying my life, so there is no rush. For 11 years I committed fully to the national federation," he said.
“I won't coach in the next year for sure. I am certain of that. When you come out of a big role you need to give your body time, your mind time."
Southgate has, in recent times, been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Manchester United's decision-makers having reportedly considered him as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag.
While it is unclear how his self-enforced break from working will impact that, he confirmed that he would be open on a return to domestic football as long as the role was right.
"Club football? Depending on what role that is," Southgate said.
"I have been fortunate to have worked with fantastic players. You got to have excitement, passion to go to work every day.
One thing it seems like Southgate will not do, meanwhile, is work with another national team.
"It is unlikely to be another national federation. England was from the heart," he said
Szczesny refuses to quit smoking after joining Barcelona
Experienced goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has said that he will not quit smoking despite having gone back on his decision to retire from football to join Barcelona.
With Marc-Andre ter Stegen having suffered a serious knee injury last month, which will keep him out for a long period of time, Szczesny was persuaded to get back into football having left Juventus in August.
But the goalkeeper is of the opinion that what he does off the pitch in his personal life should be of no interest to anyone.
"There are things that I don't change in my personal life," said Szczesny in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.
"It's nobody's business if I smoke. I believe it doesn't affect what I do on the pitch, I work twice as hard."
Szczesny did admit that, while he has no intention of stopping, there are certain boundaries he puts in place.
"I don't do it in front of kids because I don't want to have a bad influence on them," he said.
Despite that, he went on to make it clear that he won't be put off by people trying to catch him out with it.
"Sometimes somebody will take a photo from the trees where I have a cigarette, that's on them, not on me.
"If somebody thinks that I will change the way I am in my personal life they can think again because I am who I am. I've been this way my whole life."
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