Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he was “very proud” after their shock 2-1 win over Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final – but he did not mention under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag by name in his congratulatory message.
Pre-final reports claim that this game will be the Ten Hag’s last game in his difficult two-season spell at Old Trafford, and the Dutchman’s players were superb as they beat the Premier League champions at Wembley Stadium. .
“It’s a great feeling to win the FA Cup final at Wembley,” Ratcliffe said in a statement shortly after the final whistle on Saturday.
“Manchester United were obviously not favorites to win today but they played with dedication and absolute skill and beat one of the biggest teams in football. We are all proud of the players and staff who work so hard to support them.”
WHEN THE FULL TIME WHISTLE BLOWS 🥳@TeamViewer ↔️ #Get yourself a better one pic.twitter.com/EfpNC1jSsG
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 25, 2024
United’s new football manager watched on with legendary Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson as Ten Hag won the club’s first trophy of the businessman’s tenure, avenging United’s 2-1 defeat in the same game in last season’s final.
Ratcliffe said he wants to change the culture of a club that has not won the Premier League since Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012/13 campaign.
United had a poor season by the standards of the English under-20 champions, finishing eighth – 31 points behind champions City – and exiting the Uefa Champions League at the bottom of their group.
Ten Hag also won the Carabao Cup and guided United to a third-placed finish in 2022/23 but admitted he did not know if he would retain his position after lifting his latest silverware.
The 2023/24 FA Cup winners…
🏆 MANCHESTER UNITED! 🏆#MUFC || #FACupFinal pic.twitter.com/UURrGlxqiz
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 25, 2024
The 54-year-old player said that United’s problems were mainly caused by their injuries after confirming that they will play in the Europa League next season.
The Hag have dealt with the most different injuries (45), the second most injured players (21) and the most combined players out in a single game week (11), according to statistics from website Premier Injuries.
“There is a lot of work to be done but we are important to the team and we are very talented,” said Ten Hag. “The team is improving and we are winning trophies.
“Two trophies in two years is not bad. Three finals in two years isn’t bad. If they don’t want me, I’ll go somewhere else and win trophies – because that’s what I do.”
