Erik ten Hag bows out of Manchester United after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham, leaving the club 14th in the Premier League.
Manchester United confirmed Ten Hag’s departure on Monday as it brings to an end his two and a half years at Old Trafford.
United won just three of their last nine league games and had four wins in total in 14 matches overall as he played his last match.
Interim Boss Van Nistelrooy Steps In
The rest of Ten Hag’s team will remain with the rest of the staff, including former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined the staff in the offseason, taking over as interim manager.
It follows a summer decision by United’s hierarchy to extend Ten Hag’s contract through 2025 after an eighth-place finish last season and a FA Cup victory over Manchester City.
Omar Berrada, CEO, Dan Ashworth, sporting director, and Jason Wilcox, technical director, all put forward the change as early season form continued to disappoint.
Disappointing European Record and Potential Successors
Domestically and in Europe, United failed to impress under Ten Hag and Champions League group stage eliminations alongside an eventual FA Cup win meant Europa League qualification.
United splashed around £205 million on new talent this season—Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte among them—but performance improvements eluded them. Possible candidates to replace Ten Hag as revealed by Sports Buddy include Xavi, Julian Naggelsman, and Thomas Frank of Brentford.
Now we must use this new structure to help us move forward, said United’s leadership, backed by INEOS co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
