A turbulent Ten Hag era comes to an end
Manchester United have sacked their manager, Erik Ten Hag, after a 2-1 defeat at West Ham, leaving them 14th in the Premier League.
Former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy was interim manager for just one game before Ten Hag’s permanent replacement, Ruben Amorim, was announced.
After a positive first season in 2022/23, Ten Hag failed to elicit consistent performances from a squad among the most expensive in the world.
The 2023/2024 season was Manchester United’s worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing in 8th place and conceding a club-record 58 goals. In Europe, the 3-time winners won just one game out of six, a display not good enough for even Europa League qualification.
After 14 games in all competitions this season, his team had only managed four wins. Despite two successful cup runs in two seasons, Ten Hag’s stock had shrivelled so dramatically over the course of his tenure that he could not afford another abysmal start to a campaign.
In hindsight, Ten Hag never fully recovered from the 7-0 embarrassment at the hands of arch-rivals Liverpool in March 2023. Confused, lethargic and ultimately unsuccessful performances became his trademark. Such was the consistency of his team’s mediocrity; it was almost a surprise that last Saturday’s loss to West Ham relieved Ten Hag of his post.
Unfortunately, the chronic wastage of transfer funds—notably on players he had formally worked with—will be inseparable from his legacy. Since his appointment, Manchester United have had the second-highest net spend in the Premier League, yet they still seemingly require improvements in several positions. Ten Hag’s green-lighting the £82 million purchase of Antony in his first transfer window, a winger who has only achieved five goals and three assists in 56 league games since, set the tone for a woeful recruitment strategy.
Moreover, several high-profile rows during his time at the club did not help Ten Hag. He stamped his authority on United’s squad by releasing an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo and exiling Jadon Sancho after an ill-judged social media post questioned Ten Hag’s management. Sancho, who has mostly underperformed at Manchester United, was released on loan, only to shine again at Borussia Dortmund, where he reached the Champions League final in June.
Though he was appointed to deploy his specific possession-based style, United have appeared inconsistent and ostensibly under-coached as they did during the reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was criticised for lacking tactical depth.
Of course, Ten Hag went into this season knowing that his employers had tried hard to replace him in the summer, saved only by their failure to find anyone suitable; his narrow escape from being axed in July was hardly a restoration of the United boardroom’s faith. They surely regretted their decision to stick with him when, in September, United were again outclassed by Liverpool, this time at the hands of Ten Hag’s compatriot Arne Slot. The irritable, brusque, frustrated Ten Hag was neatly juxtaposed by the warm, softly spoken, tactically superior Slot.
United have moved fast to replace Ten Hag, announcing Ruben Amorim in the same week the Dutchman was sacked. Amorim has been immensely successful as Sporting Lisbon’s coach, guiding his team to their first Portuguese League title in almost 20 years in 2021 and securing another last season. He was rumoured to be Liverpool’s top target to replace Jurgen Klopp last summer. Amorim is best placed to get the best out of United’s Portuguese contingent, including their talisman, Bruno Fernandes.
Taking charge of one of the world’s biggest football clubs is never easy, but Manchester United finds itself in a particularly precarious position amongst the football elite. It has been over a decade since the great Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and nine managers later, United are seemingly further away than ever from tasting Premier League glory again. Never mind sleeping giant, Manchester United are positively comatose.
And yet, with their vast resources and massive global influence, the prospect of returning the good days to the red half of Manchester is too tempting to resist for most of the world’s top coaches. Yes, this is the most poisoned of chalices, but he who returns United to the top of the table will be cemented as one of their greatest managers.
Words by Freddie Waterland and Daniel Bloomfield
