Erik ten Hag web ST

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Erik ten Hag finally has full control over the Premier League club Manchester United and the Dutchman is seeing signs of improvement within the team. Having finished on the sixth position last season, the Red Devils will not be a part of 2022-23 Champions League season. Instead, they will play in the Europa League. But, they have a chance to correct their mistakes in the upcoming Premier League season and if Erik ten Hag makes them finish in the top-four, he will have an incentive too.

According to reports, the Dutchman is told that if he makes Man United qualify for the 2023-24 season of the Champions League, he will receive a £3m bonus. The Sun has claimed that due to savvy clauses in Ten Hag’s £9m-a-year contract with the Red Devils, the Dutchman has a chance of making huge money.

Although the former Ajax coach’s annual salary is only half the amount Pep Guardiola earns with champions and cross-town rivals Manchester City, his contract is loaded with incentives that can help him earn chunks of money if Man United manage a top-four finish in the 2022-23 season.

But if United fail to qualify for Champions League for the second time in a row, the club is set to incur huge losses. It is reported that failure to secure a spot in next season's Champions League would allegedly cost Man United as much as £90m in sponsorship deals, television revenue, prize money, and gate receipts.

Under the terms of their £75m-a-season, a ten-year sponsorship deal with shirt maker Adidas, they will forfeit £25m if they miss out on the Champions League for a second year straight.

Nonetheless, Erik Ten Hag seems confident of his team’s chances as he is seeing the change. Despite a draw against Aston Villa after being 2-0 ahead in the first half, Ten Hag is happy with how the team has fared in the last two weeks. "Football is a sport of mistakes and we have to decrease the mistakes. That's clear but I have seen a lot of progress in these two weeks," the Daily Mail quoted the Dutchman as saying.

Notably, Manchester United beat Liverpool, Melbourne Victory, and Crystal Palace apart from drawing against Aston Villa in their recent friendlies. They have now returned to Manchester and are yet to play their final two friendlies of the summer against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano this weekend.