Erik ten Hag’s two-year reign as Manchester United manager is over after the club sacked him on Monday, October 28. Sunday’s last-gasp defeat at West Ham finally forced the ownership’s hands, with United marooned in 14th place, already seven points adrift of the fourth place that would guarantee Champions League qualification. The Dutchman won the League Cup in his first season, and the FA Cup in 2023-24, but the lack of progress in the league ended up costing him his job.
Injuries haven’t been kind to United this season, but a return of just three wins and eight goals from nine matches was unacceptable. Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer goals, and it wouldn’t have escaped Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s attention that clubs like Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth, whose fan bases would barely fill the Stretford End, are higher up the table.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was appointed assistant coach during the summer revamp, will take over as interim coach, while the club’s decision-makers hunt for an individual who can restore the club to former glories. Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, two names frequently linked with United in the past, have recently taken up national team jobs, with England and the USA.
Xavi Hernandez, a midfielder much admired by Sir Alex Ferguson during his playing days, left Barcelona at the end of last season, and would be a frontrunner for the role. Brentford’s Thomas Frank also has his admirers in the United hierarchy, while Zinedine Zidane’s lack of fluency in English presents a big obstacle to his job prospects in England.
Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna was another name mentioned in the summer, and has worked with the club in the past, but whoever takes the job has an onerous task to catch up with the leading sides. INEOS and Ratcliffe have focussed on getting the internal structure right, but appointing the right man is crucial.
The club will look at the likes of Aston Villa, where Unai Emery took over a club in relegation trouble in late 2022. The turnaround was so swift that Villa made it to the Champions League, where they are currently shock leaders.
When he took the job, after earning rave reviews with Ajax, ten Hag spoke of Manchester City and Liverpool, then the premier clubs in England. “I admire them both,” he said. “They play really fantastic football. But eras come to an end.”
Sadly, for ten Hag, City and Liverpool continue to lead the way. His time, at least in England, is over.