Former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has revealed that INEOS rejected his offer to help improve the club's data department, saying the ownership group believed they already knew everything.
Ten Hag, who took charge of United in May 2022, was sacked by INEOS chiefs in November 2024 after a difficult start to the season that included three wins from their first nine Premier League matches. The Dutchman was thought to be 'completely devastated' by United's decision to dismiss him, just months after he had won the FA Cup and signed a new two-year contract at Old Trafford.
Advice turned down
When INEOS first moved to United, Ten Hag offered them advice on how to improve the club's data department, as he tried to bring better players to the Reds. However, speaking to The Athletic, the now-FC Twente director revealed INEOS rejected his offer.
"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."
Petrochemicals and Formula 1
Ten Hag added: "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."
INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, arrived at United in February 2024 after buying a 27.7 per cent stake in the club. They assumed full control of men's and women's football operations, academies, and received board seats alongside the Glazers.
Scoring targets
Ten Hag also outlined his criteria for judging players and the scoring targets needed for success. "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."
