Ten Hag: I'm not thinking about my future

Erik ten Hag played down rumours about his future at Manchester United and instead focused on praising his players after first-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo secured a 2-1 FA Cup final win against Manchester City.

The Man Utd manager has been the subject of recent media speculation suggesting that his two-year tenure at Old Trafford is under threat.

"I don’t know," Ten Hag told BBC Sport when asked about his future at Old Trafford.

"The only thing I’m doing is preparing my team, developing my team. This is a project for me. When I came in I can say it was a mess. Now we are better. We are not where we want to be.

"Football is about winning trophies. I want to play the best football, dynamic, attacking football but in the end you have to win games and trophies. That’s the mentality we brought in. This was our one opportunity and we did it. I‘m very proud of the players and staff."

United, who finished eighth in the Premier League in 2023/24, their lowest-ever placing, were beset by injuries throughout the season, a point Ten Hag was quick to make.

"All compliments to the team," he added. "We played very good to our identity. Very strong. You have seen how we can play when we have the players on board. Some were not even match fit but the performance was very good.

"I had maybe three or four times in two years we had the full squad available. Even today we were missing massive players like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Casemiro.

"I tell you [media] this all year - when the players are fit we can play good football. A very good performance against the best team in the world.

"With a local rivalry it’s there and it’s much more important when you play a team from your own city. But for us it wasn’t about this, it was to prove a point after so many setbacks. The team showed so much resilience and I’m proud of them."

Acknowledging the contribution of teenage goalscorer Mainoo, who only turned 19 on 19 April, Ten Hag added: "He was really so enjoyable to watch. At his age. He’s an example."

Ten Hag's sentiments were echoed by captain Bruno Fernandes, who said: "Kobbie is really good, such a quality player and you can see the composure he had with the finish.

"He came through the Academy and once more on the biggest stage in the world he showed it again. Congratulations to everyone, the staff, the players and all the fans, they have given us a big push - finally we have something to celebrate."

And on the importance of finishing a disappointing season on a high, Fernandes added: "It was the last chance to get something positive from the season. We were here last season and we weren't good enough and we had to see them go up and get the trophy.

"They have great quality, great players, a great manager. We had to sacrifice and suffer but we did great things. It is crucial for everyone. We know the manager is under so much scrutiny, he deserves this, also everyone in the backroom staff and the players, we all deserve this."