Manchester United finally sack Ten Hag

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: MANCHESTER United have sacked Erik ten Hag and placed Ruud van Nistelrooy in temporary charge of the team.

Van Nistelrooy will be in charge of the Red Devils on an interim basis while the rest of the staff will be staying put. The decision comes after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United handed the Reds their fourth defeat in nine league games.

Ten Hag was handed a one-year contract extension in the summer after guiding United to the FA Cup.
There was optimism that he would oversee a turnaround at Old Trafford under the INEOS regime but the club have made the worst start to a Premier League campaign in their history.

Former Ajax boss Ten Hag, 54, took charge in the summer of 2022 and led the club to third place in the Premier League in his first season.

He also guided United to their first piece of silverware in six seasons with a 2-0 win against Newcastle United in the 2023 Carabao Cup final and finished runners-up in the FA Cup final, losing 2-1 to Manchester City.

His second season in charge started poorly, with United finishing bottom of their Champions’ League group in the autumn but they picked up a trophy, beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group bought a 27.7 per cent stake in the club in December 2023 and the British billionaire told BBC Sport in February the club’s problems extended far beyond the role of the manager.

“In the past 11 years, Manchester United have had a lot of coaches and nobody has been successful in that environment,” said Ratcliffe.

“That says to me there is something wrong with the environment.” But a poor start to the campaign, which has seen United win just one of their past eight matches in all competitions, has forced the board to act.

A club statement on Manchester United’s website reads: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager. 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.

“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.”