MANCHESTER United held a monthly board meeting in central London on Tuesday which the BBC reported as being significant in determining the immediate future of United manager Erik ten Hag.
The meeting lasted around six hours, with footage of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe arriving and leaving published by some media.
After the big build-up, silence. We don’t know the outcome because no-one is saying.
Why?
First, the context.
Last summer, United took just over two weeks from their FA Cup final win over Manchester City to confirm Ten Hag would continue in his job, after days of speculation before and after the game that the Dutchman would be sacked.
The BBC reported that United were considering other managers as part of that review.
When Ineos decided to stick with Ten Hag, they triggered the option for an additional year on his contract, which now runs to 2026.
In addition, significant elements of Ten Hag’s backroom team were changed, including the exits of assistant manager Mitchell van der Gaag and coach Steve McClaren.
To add to the sense of change, in July Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada finally came off respective periods of gardening leave to take up the sporting director and chief executive roles.
This created the structures which Ineos felt United had lacked prior to Ratcliffe’s part purchase of the club, which had been announced on 24 December the previous year.
After an eighth-place finish, the club’s worst of the Premier League era, optimism was high around Old Trafford about a significant improvement.
On 29 September, United were hammered 3-0 at home by Tottenham.
Questions began to be posed again about Ten Hag’s tenure.
On 30 September, officials at United let it be known that Ten Hag would stay in his job for the forthcoming games against Porto and Aston Villa.
It was not stated the situation would be reassessed after those games, but that was an interpretation some made externally.
On Friday, when asked directly in an on-camera interview with BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan whether he “had faith” in Ten Hag, Ratcliffe replied: “I don’t want to answer that question. I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day, it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how best we run the team in many different respects.
“They’ve not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.
“Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously – that’s very clear.”
Ratcliffe’s words made headlines – but were also interpreted by some as an indication some kind of decision would be reached after the Villa game.
Ratcliffe, Berrada and Ashworth were part of the United delegation at Villa Park, who were all pictured sat together – alongside former manager Sir Alex Ferguson – at the top of the main stand for the 0-0 draw, which dropped United to 14th in the Premier League.
Eight points from their opening seven games is United’s worst return since the 1989-90 campaign.
So, after a week featuring two draws in very different styles – a chaotic 3-3 in Porto and a dour 0-0 at Villa – I asked Ten Hag two questions in his post-match news conference, firstly about the external noise and secondly if he felt the owners were still behind him.
“Simon, you said it very good, external noise,” he replied. “Internally we are disappointed and we know we have to do better.”
And on support from the ownership: “I don’t have any idea it is different because they should have told me. We communicate very open and very transparent.”
By Monday, some sort of clarification was expected from the club, which didn’t come.
Ratcliffe and co-chairman Joel Glazer were pictured going into Old Trafford. Glazer, it transpired, was attending a meeting of the club’s Fan’s Advisory Board.
Club officials did communicate it was likely the performance of the team would be discussed at the board meeting in London the following day. Attendees were captured arriving and leaving but since then, nothing.
Those at United whose responsibility it is to communicate messaging have questioned why they should offer guidance around this board meeting when they never do at any other point.
As far as official statements go, there has been nothing.
I approached United board member and Ineos Sport chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc for a comment at the European Clubs’ Association meeting in Athens he is attending on his club’s behalf. He politely declined.
For now, Ten Hag remains in his job and he is having a few days away from the club as is customary during an international break. So unless the situation changes, he will return to begin preparations for the Premier League game with Brentford at Old Trafford on 19 October.