As Ten Hag continues to discuss a new contract following INEOS' decision to keep him in charge, United are willing to bring in Ruud van Nistelrooy and Harker as Ten Hag's new assistant coaches, both of whom were hand-picked by Ten Hag.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stated that he wants to provide Ten Hag with an environment for success, and in that sense, he has done so. If Ruud van Nistelrooy and Harker join United – which is only possible at the moment – it will be recognised by INEOS, but first and foremost is Ten Hag's choice.
After a tumultuous first six months under his new club, the 54-year-old is being given the mandate to refresh his coaching staff and effectively press the reset button in partnership with INEOS director of football Sir Dave Brailford and Manchester United's director of new technology Jason Wilcox. It's safe to assume that Manchester United's incoming chief executive, Omar Bellada, and possibly new director of football, Dan Ashworth, are also part of the process.
However, it's not just a restructuring of the coaching team. This was the result of several months of investigation and analysis, mainly carried out by Sir Brailisford and Wilcox in Carrington. This was the result of talks between Ten Hag and the INEOS delegation led by Sir Braitford at the holiday base in Ibiza.
Since the Glazer family handed over control of football operations to Ratcliffe at the beginning of the year, Old Trafford has been divided into three factions: Manchester United, INEOS and Ten Hag.
Now, after months of tension and drama surrounding his position, there is hope that the club will move forward with a clear strategy.
There are still a number of moving parts before anything is finalised: first, Ten Hag's new contract, which is expected to be confirmed after positive talks. Secondly, an agreement was reached with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Harker to become his new assistant coaches.
Separately, the club are hoping Darren Fletcher can accept a place in his new squad after giving up the title of technical director to Wilcox, but forward coach Benny McCarthy will leave when his contract expires on Sunday.
There may be other changes to the coaching, conditioning and analysis departments, but it is understood that the majority of staff will remain the same. The plan is to have everything in place before the first non-international players report to Carrington for pre-season training on July 8. A week later, United will face Rosenborg in Trondheim and Glasgow at Murrayfield on 20 July before heading to the US tour.
Ten Hag's contract should have been signed before then. When Manchester United face Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, it looks like a distant possibility in the context of INEOS interviewing other managers. But after Wembley's victory and the end-of-season review, he was deemed the most suitable candidate, convincing Sir Ratcliffe and his colleagues to offer the Dutchman a new contract and work with him to restructure the coaching staff.
Despite Ruud van Nistelrooy and Harker having their own resumes as managers, it is understood that United have no succession plans when considering Ten Hag's succession if he were to face another threat to his position next season. They seem to be the ones he chose to support him, not the sword of Damosqueli hanging over his head.
Ruud van Nistelrooy needs no introduction for United fans. One of the greatest strikers of modern Manchester United, he made 219 appearances for the club between 2001 and 2006, scoring 150 goals.
If the 47-year-old does return as coach now, one hopes that this will energize not only the team, but the club as a whole. He and Harker are part of the co-teaching assistant and are responsible for the broader work, and Hygos speculates that one of the jobs should be to take over the previous McCarthy role and coach the forwards.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has a managerial background of his own, leading the team to second place in the Dutch Cup and league as head coach of PSV Eindhoven before resigning due to a lack of support. He was a frontrunner in filling Burnley's void until United's interest emerged.
Harker is also ready to give up management and join Ten Hag's coaching team. The Advance Eagles boss has just taken the Deventel (home city) club to European competition for the third time in their history, but his departure is now seen as inevitable.
The 52-year-old worked with Ten Hag at Twente's Youth Academy, and both coached at Utrecht and Forward Eagles. Haque's experience includes a stint as director of football at Eredivisie side Emmen and he won't hold back his rhetoric if a video of his rebuke to a player in Utrecht circulates on social media.
Even successful managers regularly restructure their behind-the-scenes teams to inject new energy and ideas. Sir Alex Ferguson had no fewer than seven assistant coaches during his reign at Old Trafford.
After a tumultuous first two years at Old Trafford, Ten Hag's willingness to consider change should not be seen as disrespectful to Van der Haag or McLaren. If any of them leave, they can hold their heads high because after helping Ten Hag reach three cup finals and win two trophies.
At the moment, the two new assistant coaches are only in place, and Van der Hag is leaving immediately. The 52-year-old coach, who had coaching experience in Portugal, Cyprus and the Netherlands before becoming Ten Hag's deputy at Ajax, is said to have ambitions to stand on his feet again.
He has been a key figure since following Ten Hag to Old Trafford in 2022. Both have a straightforward style and can sometimes seem impersonal, but it is understood that he is more popular than sometimes suggested.
In fact, it was his idea to use letters and videos from loved ones at the team hotel in Mayfair to inspire Manchester United players to play in the cup final. Van der Gaag's video mixes Manchester United's glory and low moments, with U2's hit 'One' and Al Pacino's motivational speech in the film 'Any Given Sunday' in the background, which has since gone viral. If Wembley's game ends up being his farewell, as it seems possible, it will certainly be a very good curtain call.
It is understood that discussions are currently underway with McClaren about his role for next season, although it remains to be seen whether the 63-year-old former England manager – who has worked with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Ten Hag at FC Twente – will stay.
The same can be said for Fletcher, although United want to keep the Scot due to his close relationship with the player and respect in the dressing room. This is particularly true for young players such as Garnacho and Menou, as Fletcher helped them transition from the academy to the first team in his role as technical director.
Fletcher's responsibilities became more hands-on after Eric Ramsey left Manchester United's coaching staff to join Minnesota United in February, before Wilcox took over his title in April. It is likely that Fletcher will continue to take on similar responsibilities in his new role.
McCarthy, meanwhile, will be missed for his close relationship with the player and his contribution to his work as a striker, including a key role in helping Marcus Rashford score 30 goals in his first season at Ten Hag. The players are said to have often confided in the South African when there was friction within the team.
However, he was only offered a two-year contract – unlike Van der Hag and McLaren who have another 12 months – and is now expected to seek a job in management.
McCarthy will be gone, and Manchester United will continue to move forward. It has been a bumpy journey under Sir Ratcliffe, but it was always to be expected. The hope now is that the club will move forward with a new strategy – and possibly some new faces – as well.