Erik ten Hag has been sacked as manager of Premier League giants Manchester United

CNN
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Manchester United have confirmed that manager Erik ten Hag has “abandoned his role at the club” after a poor start to the new season.

The Dutchman took charge of the English Premier League giants in April 2022 and has won two trophies during his time at the club: the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

But his tenure has also been marked by a series of deflating defeats and performances over the last two seasons have increased the pressure on the coach.

United were beaten 2-1 by West Ham on Sunday to move into 14th place in the league.

“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him all the best for the future,” the club added in its statement on Monday.

Former Red Devils star Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was hired as ten Hag's assistant this season, will take over as interim manager until a “permanent head coach is hired”.

Manchester United has been undergoing a behind-the-scenes makeover since British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS acquired 25% of the club in December last year.

Although the team failed to impress for much of last season, the club's new hierarchy seemed to support Ten Hag, despite the team finishing eighth in the Premier League.

After a brilliant win against local rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season, the club decided to extend the 54-year-old's contract until 2026.

But results and performances have also remained stagnant this season, despite the club spending a fortune on new players, according to Transfermarkt: 214.5 million euros (nearly $232.2 million) this offseason alone.

Ten Hag is now the fifth permanent manager to lose his job since the resignation of legendary coach Alex Ferguson in 2013 and the club is still struggling to regain its former glory.

Analysis by Aleks Klosok of CNN Sport

The autopsy of Ten Hag's tenure at Manchester United is both a messy and clean analysis; the very definition of Jekyll and Hyde in football.

On the one hand, trying to understand the Dutchman's tenure was like trying the most fascinating yet mind-blowing cocktail.

Let's call it the “Manchester Mule” – equal parts confusion and brilliance, a dash of surprise, a dash of affair and always with a touch of the unknown.

Ten Hag can rightly point to having won two trophies during his time as manager at Old Trafford, more than the six Chelsea managers – interim and regular – who came and went during his time.

And yet, for some, silver is the minimum currency and requirement for any responsible manager in the post-Ferguson era.

A place in the top four and a challenging performance in European competitions is a prerequisite for what is to be delivered.

Whether you believe United were or are worthy of challenging the elite in England and Europe given the shift in power across the football landscape is up to you, but the stats don't lie – ten Hag's United have never been at that level.

And yes, the unexpected was sometimes beyond his control. A litany of injuries and the sale of part of the club to new co-owner INEOS led to a fundamental change in the composition of the club's structure.

Apart from goalkeeper André Onana, who is gradually developing into the confident, match-winning goalkeeper that United have longed for, the club's transfer policy has been a failure in every sense.

Consciously or unconsciously, the inclusion of players who featured prominently under Ten Hag during his time at Ajax – Lisandro Martínez, Antony, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and the aforementioned Onana – has had little to no impact.

As with Oasis, it was the reunion that was probably neither necessary nor wanted.

Time and time again, United have overpaid or shown up too late to get deals done.

Perhaps time will reveal that Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund are the strikers United crave, or that teenager Leny Yoro is the imposing centre-back who will lead United's defense for the next few years.

Could young players Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho be the makings of the Red Devils' 'next generation' midfield?

If, but and maybe. But rightly or wrongly, time is a precious commodity in the age of hectic social media and the demand for instant results.

Looking at the Premier League class of 2024, a style of play could be identified for 18 of the division's 20 teams.

The two anomalies – Julen Lopetegui at West Ham United, still in the early stages of his reign, and ten Hag's United.

Ten Hag built his reputation at Ajax on tactical skill and clarity. It was clear to him that this type of football would not translate to the playing surface at Old Trafford.

But after almost three seasons, United's identity under the Dutch coach remains a Rubik's cube to solve.

Previous Manchester United teams were known for their fast, powerful, patient and precise play.

Lately the current team can only play slow, statuesque and stifling football.

The patterns of play were largely unrecognizable and there was little cohesion between the defense, midfield and attack organs.

Moments of individual brilliance have covered up old weaknesses that have been exposed again and again.

The stats don't lie: last season was the worst ever result in the Premier League era and since his appointment in 2022, no Premier League club has conceded three or more goals in a game more often than United in all competitions.

Ratcliffe's INEOS came to the club on a wave of goodwill after buying 25% of the club in December.

The job was to bring success to the men's, women's and academy teams, even as the 75% owned Glazer family continued to manage the balance sheet.

Behind the scenes there is now a new football structure that has been elusive since the days of Ferguson to make this possible.

Their public promotion of alternatives to Ten Hag before United's victory in last year's FA Cup final was seen as a misstep at the time.

The pursuit ultimately failed and led to the Dutchman being offered a one-year extension. It turned out to be little more than a procedural break.

However, it is now up to them, under their own leadership, to put forward a plan for the future.

In the short term, Ruud van Nistelrooy will lead the revival, but ten Hag's long-term replacement remains to be seen.

In short: there is no obvious candidate.

For INEOS – and United as a whole – the bigger question is perhaps both practical and almost existentially Nietzschean: Who are we? What do we want to be?

United's new CEO, Omar Berrada, has already partially answered that question by laying out a three-year plan that he said would culminate in the Red Devils winning again in 2028, coinciding with the club's 150th anniversary would win the Premier League Cup.

This is a club that has experienced wild ups and downs in recent years that have satiated the appetites of pundits, influencers and columnists who have profited from United's crisis.

Perhaps now is the time to end this cycle, lay out a plan for success and return United to something of their former self.