Sir Jim Ratcliffe already looks indecisive but Man Utd's rivals will be thrilled: Winners and losers of Red Devils' shock decision to stick with Erik ten Hag

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has shown his ruthless streak over the past few months by implementing a series of severe cost-cutting measures at Old Trafford. Consequently, it was almost taken as a given that the British billionaire would promptly dispense with the services of a manager who had overseen a historically bad season at United.

But the review went on longer than anyone expected. The wait for a decision on Ten Hag's future had entered a third week before an official announcement was finally made. INEOS believes that such a thorough process was a necessity but, rightly or wrongly, the delay did nothing but convey the impression that Ratcliffe & Co. were keeping Ten Hag waiting while they tried - and failed - to find a better manager to take over.

Many of the season-ticket holders that were subjected to a record-equalling nine home defeats last season will also be astounded that INEOS spent so much time mulling over the merits of keeping Ten Hag - and still made the wrong call in their eyes.

Make no mistake about it: the way in which this whole affair has been handled has made United's new co-owners look surprisingly weak and indecisive. The fans hoping that Ratcliffe's arrival would signal the start of a new era of success are now fearing more of the same dismal decision-making.

Ten Hag is said to be "delighted" by the outcome of the review - and why wouldn't he be? At the end of United's worst-ever Premier League campaign, he looked like a dead man walking. Indeed, a once-reputable English newspaper even claimed that the decision had already been taken to sack the manager.

However, history appears to have repeated itself somewhat. An FA Cup win all the way back in 1990 saved Sir Alex Ferguson's job. It's now done likewise for Ten Hag, who is not only staying but is also set to be given a new contract to solidify his position at Old Trafford - which represents one of the more incredible managerial turnarounds we've seen in recent years.

Jadon Sancho may not have wanted to go back to Old Trafford anyway. Turning his loan stay at Borussia Dortmund into a permanent transfer was clearly always the dream, given his return to Signal Iduna Park helped him rediscover something approaching his best form. However, there's certainly no chance of him going back to Manchester now that Ten Hag has been confirmed as coach for another season.

As well as publicly accusing the manager of making him a "scapegoat" for United's poor performances, he also effectively called him a liar. Given there is presently no evidence to suggest that Sancho's stance on apologising for his remarks has softened, it seems that his United career is now over.

Ten Hag staying is obviously good news for Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, two young men who have flourished since being given a chance to prove themselves at the highest level by the United boss. However, there will be no happier player than Antony right now. His Old Trafford career might just have been rescued after a disastrous season that yielded just one goal and one assist in 29 Premier League appearances.

It's certainly in Ten Hag's interest to give the Brazilian another chance. Antony was the attacker that he felt compelled to take from former club Ajax (not Muhammed Kudus!) and the winger's dismal displays and staggering £82million transfer fee have long been used as a stick with which to beat Ten Hag.

Given no other club would be willing to pay even a third of that fee for Antony this summer, it now seems likely that he'll get an unexpected and undeserved chance to belatedly prove his worth in the Premier League.

The United job seemed there for the taking for Gareth Southgate. Thomas Tuchel had already turned it down, the club's interest in Mauricio Pochettino had cooled and no other manager had emerged as a serious contender to take over.

However, for that very reason, United have decided to stick with Ten Hag, meaning there is a very real chance that there will be no vacancy at an elite club if/when Southgate decides to step down as England boss this summer, meaning a potential European champion might still be searching for work come the start of next season!

It's rather telling that the Ten Hag news has been welcomed by the supporters of many of United's traditional rivals. Ten Hag may have won two cups in two seasons since arriving in England but the nature of United's Premier League performances last season means followers of City, Liverpool and Arsenal do not believe that he is capable of putting the Red Devils back on their perch.

In Ten Hag's defence, he was obviously severely hindered by injuries last term - but he wasn't alone in that regard. Many of his peers had to make do without key players for long stretches of the season and fared far better in the league.

Besides, the most worrying thing about United's results was the almost constant lack of a coherent strategy or any evidence of progression in their play. Perhaps the Wembley win over City will prove a turning point - but it's easy to understand why others view it as an anomaly.

Whatever the truth, Ten Hag's United simply have to hit the ground running next season. If they don't, he'll be gone by Christmas.