Ten Hag claims INEOS rejected his data advice, saying they 'knew everything already'

Erik ten Hag has accused INEOS of dismissing his advice on modernising Manchester United’s data operations, claiming the ownership group believed they already had all the answers when he raised the issue during his tenure at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag, who was sacked by United in November 2024 following a poor start to the Premier League season, told The Athletic that he had pushed for a stronger data infrastructure at the club — an area he said Ajax had invested in long before his arrival in Manchester in May 2022. INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, acquired a 27.7% stake in United in February 2024 and immediately took control of football operations.

“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.”

The Dutchman, now director at FC Twente, said he offered his expertise directly to INEOS but was rebuffed. “I offered my knowledge and abilities to INEOS to help them to construct, but they were of the opinion that they knew already everything,” he said. “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 also outlined the seven-point framework he uses to evaluate players — technical ability, game intelligence and cognition, athleticism, lifestyle, determination, resilience, and an offensive mindset — and suggested United lacked the analytical tools to identify players who met those criteria effectively.

“When I came to United, we didn’t have the scoring ability to be in the top four,” he added. “I will not say football is mathematics, but a bit of logic is in there.”

Ten Hag was dismissed after United won just three of their opening nine Premier League fixtures in 2024-25, despite having lifted the FA Cup the previous May and signed a new two-year contract shortly afterwards. He was reported to have been “completely devastated” by the decision. United’s form has shown little sustained improvement since his departure, finishing third in the Championship under Michael Carrick — a reference that appears to relate to the club’s broader trajectory rather than a top-flight campaign.