Erik ten Hag Departs as Manchester United Manager
Erik ten Hag has officially been relieved of his duties as the manager of Manchester United. The decision was communicated to him on Monday morning, and it marks the end of his tenure at Old Trafford after two and a half years. His final match in charge was the disappointing Premier League defeat against West Ham United on Sunday.
This latest loss left Manchester United languishing in 14th place in the league table, seven points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots. The team has managed only three league victories from nine outings and has secured just four wins in 14 matches across all competitions.
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In the wake of Ten Hag’s departure, the club is now evaluating its next steps. Former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was brought in during the off-season to support Ten Hag, has been appointed as the interim manager. The existing management team will remain in place for the time being.
A statement released later on Monday confirmed the news, stating: “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.”
Despite a summer of optimism where Ten Hag was retained after an end-of-season review, the reality of the current season has been stark. After finishing eighth in the Premier League last season—their lowest position since 1990—and a victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, the club opted to extend Ten Hag’s contract by one year in July, pushing his deal to expire in 2026. However, dismal performances at the start of this season, which prompted serious discussions among key decision-makers, ultimately led to his dismissal.
During the international break, The Athletic reported that the club’s hierarchy were set to meet to discuss Ten Hag’s performance, and a possible change at the managerial level was very much on the agenda.
In his first season, Ten Hag guided United to a commendable third-place finish and secured the Carabao Cup, ending a six-year trophy drought. However, the subsequent year was filled with challenges, including a disappointing group-stage exit from the Champions League and only qualifying for this season’s Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
Throughout the process, United had explored various potential replacements, including current England head coach Thomas Tuchel, newly appointed USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi (who was subsequently hired by Marseille), Brentford’s Thomas Frank, and Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna. In the end, after deliberations led by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, the decision was made to part ways with Ten Hag.
The club was active in the summer transfer window, signing players including Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, and Noussair Mazraoui, for a total expenditure of approximately £205 million ($274 million), including add-ons. Just hours before the team’s loss to Liverpool, chief executive Omar Berrada had publicly stated that Ten Hag had the “full backing” of the club’s hierarchy.
Before taking the reins at Manchester United, Ten Hag enjoyed a successful stint at Ajax, where he managed for over four years. He also had coaching roles at Go Ahead Eagles and FC Utrecht, along with a two-year period as head coach of Bayern Munich’s reserve side.
Looking ahead, Manchester United’s next fixture is against Leicester City in the League Cup, scheduled to take place at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
‘United Finally Runs Out of Patience’
Analysis from Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley
The decision to part ways with Ten Hag after a narrow and controversial defeat may come as a surprise to some observers. However, with the team sitting precariously in 14th place and having won only four of their 14 matches this season, many may wonder why the club waited so long to make this move. Keeping Ten Hag seemed increasingly like postponing the inevitable, and the defeat at West Ham ultimately sealed his fate.
Despite a summer of significant changes and an investment of over £200 million in new players, both the results and performances have failed to show tangible improvement since last season. Ten Hag maintained that winning two trophies in two seasons signified progress, but such claims were met with skepticism as results stagnated. It was evident that unless there was a dramatic turnaround, the club’s higher-ups would soon run out of patience.
This decision represents a shift in the club’s stance, as the INEOS-led hierarchy had previously backed Ten Hag by triggering a one-year contract extension during the summer, just a month after the memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City at Wembley. It is now up to the newly established football structure, led by chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, to select Ten Hag’s successor and attempt to salvage the current season.
How Bad Had It Got?
Analysis from Senior Data Analyst Mark Carey
Without even delving into the recent performances, a broader perspective on United’s results reveals the extent of their decline among Europe’s elite clubs. Utilizing data from ClubElo—a metric that gauges team strength by allocating points for every result, adjusted for the quality of the opposition—we can track United’s rating over the past decade and beyond. While peaks and troughs are typical for any club, the data illustrates a concerning decline in United’s standing.
After a notable drop following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in the summer of 2013, the club experienced a resurgence under managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, since Ten Hag’s arrival, United’s ClubElo rating has plummeted to an all-time low in the post-Ferguson era. While there have been occasional signs of recovery, they are insufficient to instill long-term optimism.
Comparisons to the club’s glory days are inevitable, but it is only when viewing United’s historical performance data that the magnitude of the issues becomes painfully clear.
(Top photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)