Erik ten Hag will stay at Manchester United for a while unless he leads a string of very bad results. This is because Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford need to figure out what needs to be done right away to turn the club around.

Ratcliffe and Brailsford are first going to look at the playing group, the leadership and staff, the club’s structure, and how income is spent in the team to figure out the best way to make United again a title contender in England and Europe.

Ten Hag’s future won’t be decided until the process is over, unless the team has to sit through a string of frightening results and shows.

The boss is having a tough season because of all the injuries and illnesses, as well as a problem with Jadon Sancho’s behavior and problems with Antony’s legal situation and other issues. United lost to Arsenal in the Premier League title game and is now eighth in the table, nine points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

It was official on Christmas Eve that Ratcliffe bought a 25% stake in United. This week, Ratcliffe and Brailsford met with Ten Hag and other staff members for the first time. Brailsford is the director of sports for Ineos. He is also on the club board and is the businessman’s go-to executive at United.