Erik ten Hag ‘very proud of players and staff’ after FA Cup win while Man United future remains uncertain

Erik ten Hag insists he does not know if he has just coached his last game as Manchester United manager, an FA Cup victory that club captain Bruno Fernandes said his head coach “deserved”.

First-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo set United on course for Ten Hag’s second trophy in as many seasons in charge, one that made it all the more enjoyable for United fans as it denied rivals Manchester City the chance to win the league and cup double. Jeremy Doku’s goal set the stage for a grandstand finish at Wembley, where United held firm in the same impressive fashion as they had for the previous 87 minutes.

Ten Hag’s future has been the subject of rampant speculation in recent weeks, with reports on the eve of the FA Cup final saying the Dutchman would be sacked regardless of the outcome of his side’s clash with City. United have done this before, dropping Louis van Gaal two days after he won the 2016 FA Cup, although football decisions are now led by minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Asked by the BBC if he thought he had a future at United, Ten Hag said: “I don’t know. The only thing I’m doing is preparing my team, developing them. This is a project for me. When I joined I can say it was a mess. Now we are better.

“Football is about winning trophies. I want to play the best football, dynamic and attacking football, but in the end you have to win games and trophies. That was the mentality we brought. This was our only opportunity and we did it. I’m very proud of the players and staff.”

Ten Hag started the second season of his United tenure on a high note, finishing third in the league and triumphing in the EFL Cup, earning him the admiration of fans, players and those above him at Old Trafford. This season, however, proved to be an unmitigated disaster before their day in the Wembley sun, where a 13th FA Cup final victory ensured that United would conquer the European football they had not achieved by finishing eighth in the Premier League .

The Dutchman has consistently insisted that the explanation for these difficulties has more to do with Carrington’s treatment room than anything he instructs his players to do on the pitch and he returned to that refrain on Saturday. His point may certainly have been justified given the impressive displays of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, the first-choice centre-back pairing in his first season in charge, who he was rarely able to deploy in his second.

“It wasn’t right,” Ten Hag said of the criticism he faced. “We didn’t have the players. We saw the same things, not always good football – definitely not – but we had to make concessions all the time and then you can’t play the football you want.

“Maybe three or four times in two years we had the full squad available. Even today we were missing important players like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Casemiro.”

An impressive and energetic first half saw United avenge their defeat at Wembley 12 months ago, the day they failed to deny their city rivals the opportunity to equal a treble. It also drew the Red Devils one of Arsenal’s record 14 FA Cup victories.

Fernandes said: “It was the last chance to achieve something positive in the season. We were here last season and we weren’t good enough and we had to watch them rise and win the trophy. They have great quality, great players, a great coach. We had to sacrifice and suffer, but we did great things.

“Congratulations to everyone, the coaching staff, the players and all the fans, they gave us a big boost – we finally have something to celebrate. It’s crucial for everyone. We know the manager is under a lot of scrutiny, he deserves it, so does everyone in the backroom staff and the players, we all deserve it.”