A football stadium with green pitch and red stand seating on bright day. Players on the pitch and fans in the crowd. [ten Hag]

Jennifer Cartwright

Erik ten Hag has been brutally sacked as manager of Manchester United following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham. 

The Dutchman had been manager of the Red Devils since 2022, leading the club to two trophies during this time.

The 54-year-old was pushed out of his managing role at the end of October. The decision fuelled by declining Premier League position and growing criticism of ten Hag’s leadership. 

In a club statement, Manchester United expressed gratitude for Ten Hag’s service, saying: “We are grateful for everything Ten Hag has done for us and wish him well for the future.” 

Manchester United Change Their Minds

Questions over Ten Hag’s competency initially stirred over the summer. Rumours circulated that Manchester United was talking with other possible managers. However, after an FA Cup final victory against Manchester City, the club changed their mind. They instead decided to extend the manager’s contract until 2026. 

Now, the reversal of this decision comes after a string of Premier League ties and losses. Manchester United had won both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup under Ten Hag’s leadership. However, despite this success, they struggled in the league. After nine league games under Ten Hag, Manchester United were ranking 14th. This was a decline from their already disappointing 8th place finish last year. The only former Manchester United manager with a higher loss rate than Ten Hag is David Moyes who led the club in 2013-2014. 

What Went Wrong?

Reacting to Ten Hag’s departure, many have suggested the decision was inevitable. Former player Alan Shearer, who was twice offered to play for Manchester United during his career, called Ten Hag “a dead man walking” while speaking on  the Rest is Football podcast. While on Soccer Saturday, former player and manager Paul Merson described the Manchester United job as simply “too big” for Ten Hag. 

Hag was also greatly criticised for overspending on players who did not prove their worth on the pitch. His most expensive signings include Casemiro (£70m), Rasmus Hojilund (£72m) and Antony (£85.4m). Antony, alongside Lisandro Martinez, André Onana, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui are all United signings who had previously worked with Ten Hag. Notably all came from the Dutch football team Ajax, where Ten Hag previously managed.

Since his sacking, Ten Hag has thanked both the club and the fans for their support and has wished “nothing but success, trophies, and glory” for the team. However, blame for Ten Hag’s sudden departure has also been placed on the Manchester United players for not delivering results. The team’s attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes even apologised to Ten Hag, conceding: “You have to take some of the blame on yourself because it is the team that are not doing well.”

He continued: “It’s easier to get rid of a manager than 15 players”.  

The Next Steps

 

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Rúben Amorim has been announced as Ten Hag’s successor. The Portuguese manager has signed a contract to lead the club until 2027. Amorim will take the reins over from Ruud van Nistelrooy who has been acting as interim manager since ten Hag’s sacking. 

Even under van Nistelrooy, Manchester United have had increased success. On 30th October, they beat Leicester City in a Carabao Cup match 5-2. 

Having previously led Lisbon club Sporting to win their first league title in 19 years, Amorim is a promising replacement for Manchester United. The 39-year-old will be Manchester United’s youngest ever Premier League manager.

He awaits a low league position and no wins in Europe over the past year. Resurrecting Manchester United will be quite the challenge even for the accomplished Amorim. 

Speaking in a post-match interview, Amorim has promised that he will look at helping Manchester United play “in a different way” as head coach. 

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Featured image courtesy of Sierra Alpha Juliet on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

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