A mere 4 months removed from handing him a contract extension, Ineos have sacked Erik ten Hag after 128 games in charge.
The club statement on Monday morning read: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager. 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 interim charge beginning on Wednesday night at home against Leicester in the Carabao Cup.
Manchester United have started the season with three wins from their first nine league games and just four wins in all competitions.
The Dutchman departs Manchester with a mixed record of both positives and negatives on his resume.
The 14 league defeats suffered in the 2023/24 season was United’s worst tally in Premier League history. The 8th-place finish was also the lowest of the Premier League era, albeit not the lowest points total.
Erik’s side managed just one win from six in last season’s Champions League and suffered a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Sevilla in the previous year’s Europa League quarterfinal.
Large sums have been splashed on the likes of Antony and Mason Mount, whose names top the list of those who have underperformed since being signed under Ten Hag.
Since acquiring their stake in the club on Christmas Eve, the Ineos ownership headlined by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford has switched up the technical director, coaching staff and CEO, and introduced an inaugural sporting director. The manager is now the latest name to be changed despite Erik Ten Hag’s contract being extended to the summer of 2026 shortly after the FA Cup triumph over Manchester City just four months ago.
Domestically, Ten Hag’s record in the cups was exceptional. United reached three of a possible four domestic cup finals under his tenure, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the aforementioned FA Cup in May.
The former Ajax boss also leaves as the second-winningest manager since Sir Alex Ferguson, with a 56.3% win percentage in all competitions that leaves him behind only Jose Mourinho.
Ten Hag ended a six-year trophy drought and also leaves with an impressive list of successful youth projects to his name. Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo highlight the list of young Reds who came into their own under this manager, evidenced best by the pair’s names on the scoresheet against City at Wembley.
Image Credit: Goal.com
Despite being sacked just days away from November, Erik ten Hag was last able to select a natural left back on February 18th. 66 unique injuries and illnesses hit the United squad in 2023/24. It will remain unseen what the Dutchman’s second season might have looked like with the squad availability that benefited him in 2022/23.
Public outbursts from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo, off-field difficulties with Mason Greenwood, Antony, and Marcus Rashford, as well as the distractions that come with an entire shapeshift of the structure above him all had to be dealt with by Ten Hag during his two and a half years at the club.
He took over the United side that totalled an all-time worst 56 points in the 2021/22 Premier League season and finished third with it in his first year in charge. United also lost just one league game at home in that first season which will go down as the finest of Ten Hag’s time, including wins over Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal.
Bruno Fernandes was given the captaincy in the summer of 2023 and was the first to come to social media to thank the manager after the sacking.
“Thanks for everything boss! I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best in the future.”
@brunofernandes8 on Instagram
Rasmus Højlund, Mainoo, and Garnacho are among the others who have thanked Erik in the hours since his departure.
While he ultimately fell short, Ten Hag’s time in Manchester had no shortage of memorable days and grand victories. Attention now turns to the all-important decision of electing his replacement.
