Former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has revealed he offered INEOS advice on improving the club's data department, only to be rejected, claiming they believed 'they knew everything already'.
Ten Hag, who took charge of United in May 2022, was dismissed by INEOS bosses in November 2024 after a disappointing start to the campaign which saw just three victories from their opening nine Premier League fixtures. The Dutchman was understood to be 'completely devastated' by United's decision to axe him, just months after lifting the FA Cup and signing a new two-year deal at Old Trafford.
Despite last season's third-place finish under Michael Carrick, United have shown little improvement since Ten Hag's departure and INEOS' arrival at the club in February 2024. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS acquired a 27.7% stake in United, immediately taking near-complete control of men's and women's football operations, academies, and securing board positions.
Ten Hag's Data Proposals Rejected
When INEOS initially made their move to United, Ten Hag provided recommendations on strengthening the club's data operation, as he sought to attract superior talent to the Reds. However, speaking to The Athletic, the current FC Twente director has disclosed that INEOS turned down his proposal.
"Data changed the whole world, and now it's coming, AI, and every organisation has to take this on board," Ten Hag said. "I think United miss some aspects. The moment I came in, they were starting. For instance, data was already a long time on board at Ajax."
"A manager should get, by the end, all the information. You need others in a club to collect all the information and make everything ready to make final decisions. Top organisations innovate continually and they're actually driving the innovations."
Criticism of INEOS Approach
"I offered my knowledge and abilities to INEOS to help them to construct, but they were of the opinion that they knew already everything. They were convinced of, say, the philosophy, the strategy, the work methods. But they came from petrochemicals, from Formula 1, from cycling. Top football demands something totally different."
Ten Hag added: "Seven points where I judge the player. Technical ability, for me, is most important. Second is game intelligence and cognition. Third, you need athleticism, then lifestyle. Determination. Resilience and robustness to play every third day. And then we want to be always offensive."
"For instance, when I came to United, we didn't have the scoring ability to be in the top four. I will not say football is mathematics, but a bit of logic is in it. For us at Twente, we need 70 goals if you want to be in fourth position. When you want to win the Premier League, you need 85, 90 goals."
"I use this every day, so it should not be a document in a drawer. That is winning culture, if we match what we described. We use a lot of data to see new signings match our style of play."
