Tired of excuses: How Manchester United's patience with Ten Hag finally ended | Erik ten Hag

There have been many moments over the last 14 months where Erik ten Hag's sacking would have been justified, but Manchester United stuck with it in the hope that he could somehow turn things around. Patience and excuses finally ran out at Old Trafford after another disastrous defeat at West Ham on Sunday, leaving the team 14th in the Premier League and increasingly fearful of another season outside the Champions League.

Defeat for the third season in a row in east London was the straw that broke the camel's back, forcing the club's most senior figures to discuss terminating his contract as they were no longer confident of making it to the top Four would come. The trigger may have been pulled at some point recently, but Sunday's performance was indicative of what was happening on the pitch. Mistakes were made on both sides to ensure another limp defeat and the club hierarchy took a unanimous decision before Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth informed Ten Hag at Carrington on Monday.

In the end, Ten Hag was undone by more than one late penalty after West Ham's VAR intervened. United bosses had heard the last excuses for the Dutchman's tenure. Ten Hag said: “Luck is not on our side,” but teams like United shouldn’t rely on luck. They were supposed to be outperforming the majority of teams in the league, but the quality had been lacking for far too long and there seemed to be no option but to sack the manager after a sustained period of growing frustration. Ten Hag completed his media duties for Wednesday's visit of Leicester to the Carabao Cup, a press conference which will not be broadcast as he apparently had no idea the end was near.

Since Ineos entered when Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired his 25 percent stake, Ten Hag's position has been under constant scrutiny. While the Dutchman was still in the position, there were discussions with other coaches. Ahead of the shock FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, there was growing consensus that Ten Hag was not the long-term solution as they finished eighth, their lowest ever Premier League finish.

A return to the Champions League is the minimum target for this season, but United have an average of 1.2 Premier League points per game after nine games and believe that to realize their ambitions in May they need 70 points, or an average of 1, 8 points per game will be required. Ratcliffe and his squad are also desperate to become a European force and such teams fail to draw in their first three Europa League games.

They spoke to Kieran McKenna and Thomas Tuchel, but the former stayed in Ipswich and the latter decided that the job in the England national team was more attractive. The net was cast far and wide in the hope of finding a suitable candidate, but ultimately the pool of realistic options at a club the size of Manchester United is incredibly limited and, buoyed by victory at Wembley, a decision was made things turn around for Ten Hag.

However, it was felt that a backroom refresh would be beneficial to change the dynamic. There were long discussions with Ten Hag in Ibiza about what to do next. Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Haké joined their compatriot as assistants and £200 million was spent on players, but the same laborious and inept offer continued.

There were internal concerns that it might be safer to maintain continuity in the dugout due to the hierarchical upheaval. The arrival of new senior leadership in chairman Berrada, sporting director Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox has brought major changes and the development of a new strategy for the entire club.

Even in United's three Premier League wins this season, they have not looked convincing. United have won four of their 14 games in all competitions, with a goal difference of -3 in the league, an indication that something is wrong at both ends of the pitch. The devastating home defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham showed the huge difference in class between United and their elite opponents. Amazing when you consider how much money you spend at Old Trafford. There were always excuses about poor completion, while those responsible before Ten Hag hoped for solutions that never came.

There was recognition for how Ten Hag had introduced young players such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo into the first team. But Ten Hag failed to get the best out of the older players; Marcus Rashford's form has long been a concern and the manager's insistence on signing Antony for £85.6m from Ajax will forever mar the Ten Hag era. The winger never seemed capable of playing for an elite Premier League team.

Clubs are keen to avoid mid-season layoffs as this further limits options for replacements, but Ten Hag's loan has been exhausted. Coaches often want a full pre-season to implement their ideas for a squad, as it can be difficult when the games are constantly changing. United will play twice a week for the rest of the year and there will be few left at Carrington during the November international break. Ten Hag's successor will likely have to deal with these consequences after this seemingly inevitable decision was delayed.