Erik ten Hag officially sacked from role as Manchester United manager
The inevitable has happened: Erik ten Hag has officially been sacked as Manchester United manager after 128 games at the helm.
After a run of poor results and their worst start to a league campaign ever – a record he’d already broken the previous season – the Dutch head coach has been relieved of his duties after just two and a half years in charge.
The decision comes after the Red Devils’ 2-1 loss against West Ham on Sunday evening, in which a controversial penalty awarded after VAR saw them narrowly miss out on a point – a moment that meant just one win in eight games and now looks to have been the bell toll for ten Hag.
While the official position from the club states that the 54-year-old has vacated the role, for all intents and purposes, this is clearly a sacking.
Confirming the news on the club website, Man United wrote: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
“Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”
He leaves the club with them sitting 14th in the Premier League after picking up just 40 points from 27 league games in 2024 thus far, not to mention having won just one of his last 11 European matches and having spent £475 million on player signings. All told he won 72, drew 20 and lost 36.
On the other hand, he won two trophies in two years after lifting both the EFL and FA Cup, which proved to be a crucial lifeline until now. Nevertheless, they’ve just never been quite the same since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and suffered some severe losses to the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Spurs and more.
31.8% – Only David Moyes (32.4%, 11/34) lost a higher percentage of his Premier League games as Manchester United manager than Erik ten Hag (31.8%, 27/85). Departure. pic.twitter.com/cFavWHNNhZ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2024
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Worse still for the club and their fans, with Thomas Tuchel having recently been appointed as the new England head coach starting from 2025, United have missed out on one of their top managerial picks tipped to replace the ex-Ajax manager.
Other candidates that were reportedly interviewed in the summer before ten Hag was eventually given an albeit ill-advised new contract included Brentford’s Thomas Frank and former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi. Gareth Southgate has also been linked with the job in the past.
With club legend and fellow Dutchman international van Nistelrooy set to take over in the interim, Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group will now start their search for a replacement once again.
So, where do United stand now and who would you try and go for as ten Hag’s successor, Reds? You can watch his final words in charge down below.
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Featured Images — Manchester United/Sky Sports (via Screenshot)