With Manchester United moving quickly to replaced Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim, the Sports Mole team discuss whether they were right to sack the Dutchman in the first place.
Manchester United confirmed on Monday that they have sacked manager Erik ten Hag after less than two-and-a-half years in the Old Trafford dugout.
The divisive Dutchman brought an FA Cup and EFL Cup back to the club’s trophy cabinet during his tenure, and was named the Premier League manager of the month on three occasions – just one fewer than three-time Premier League title winner Jose Mourinho managed throughout his various spells in the top flight.
However, the Red Devils also suffered some of their worst defeats in recent times on Ten Hag’s watch, and last season finished eighth in the Premier League table – their lowest placing since 1989-90 having lost 14 of their 38 matches.
The 2024-25 campaign has not started any better, with the 20-time English champions sitting 14th in the table with just 11 points from nine outings at the time they parted company with the former Ajax boss.
A late 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Sunday proved to be the final nail in the coffin, with Ten Hag being shown the door on Monday and Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim quickly being lined up as his successor.
Here, the Sports Mole team discuss whether they believe Man United have made the right decision to get rid of Ten Hag in the first place.
© Imago
Ultimately, yes I think Erik ten Hag’s time at Man United was damaged beyond full repair, but the timing of the decision is particularly baffling.
I don’t think there would have been many complaints had they got rid of him in the summer as part of their ongoing overhaul, but having decided to stick with him then despite interviewing other candidates, I thought he might get a little bit longer this season to try to prove himself. After all, how much has really changed between now and then?
It wasn’t exactly a show of huge faith in the summer given that other managers were sounded out, but to trigger an extension in his contract only to perform a U-turn on that decision within nine games of the new Premier League season suggests that the chaotic mismanagement which has seen the club deteriorate to such a remarkable extent over the past 11 years is still prevalent, even after INEOS’s takeover.
The extension is likely to mean that it will now cost them more to get rid of Ten Hag, and they have pulled the trigger a matter of weeks after a man who would have surely been one of their top targets to replace him – Thomas Tuchel – was taken off the market too.
10 – Manchester United lost 10 games by a margin of 3+ goals in all competitions under Erik ten Hag, twice as many as they suffered under any other Red Devils boss post Sir Alex Ferguson. Torrent. pic.twitter.com/uN5RD1pajL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 29, 2024
The form has been terrible – one win in eight games across all competitions is nowhere near good enough for a club that has spent as much as Man United have – but the other way of looking at it is that they have only lost two of their last 10 as well.
That is not a defence of Man United’s recent record or the form they are in, but to finally sack their manager after their first defeat in almost a month – and that being a last-gasp, one-goal away defeat which came via a highly contentious penalty – seems odd when they have kept faith with him through much worse before that.
Ten Hag was not the right man to restore Man United’s former glories – that much had become evident despite the sporadic success of silverware – but the timing of this decision is what seems particularly strange.
Jonathan O’Shea
There’s no doubt the Erik ten Hag’s reign at Old Trafford has been doomed to failure for some time now.
The timing of his dismissal is typically messy, in keeping with the general incompetence of United’s senior management, but he had to go sooner rather than later.
26% – Seven of Erik ten Hag’s 27 Premier League defeats came via a 90th minute winner, the highest percentage of defeats to 90th minute goals of any manager to lose 20+ games in Premier League history. Fergietime. pic.twitter.com/mfMch5XWUG
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2024
His familiar procession of excuses were wearing thin, so with Ruud van Nistelrooy readily available to steady the ship, it was right to show Ten Hag the door.
Now, United must take their time to appoint a suitable successor.
Joel Lefevre
The Erik ten Hag sacking felt like a long time coming, and honestly, it got to a point where Man United had no alternative. At the same time, Ten Hag achieved more than any Red Devils boss since Sir Alex Ferguson.
That said, for him to be the United boss for as long as he was is quite miraculous. While the club lifted a couple of trophies during his tenure, rarely did we see any kind of structure from his teams, who often looked ill-prepared.
108 – Only Ipswich Town (47 minutes and 9 seconds) have been in the lead for less time in the Premier League this season than Manchester United (108 minutes and 5 seconds). Difficulties.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2024
Not only have Manchester United never looked like Premier League title contenders, but they’ve also suffered some humiliating defeats during the Dutchman’s time in charge against beatable opponents, with his side conceding countless times through silly giveaways and poor defensive decisions that you expect to see at the amateur level.
There didn’t appear to be any clear plan in place during Ten Hag’s tumultuous time in charge, so he was justifiably dismissed. Had this decision been made at the end of last season or earlier, I still believe it would’ve been the correct move to make for the club as he was given countless second chances and never made the most of them.
It is a surprise it did not happen sooner, with INEOS making a decision seemingly based on the outcome of one game and not United’s broader decline under the Dutchman.
Manchester United ended the 2023-24 season in eighth place, the club’s lowest finish in a generation and little suggested a change was in the offing this term.
31.8% – Only David Moyes (32.4%, 11/34) lost a higher percentage of his Premier League games as Manchester United manager than Erik ten Hag (31.8%, 27/85). Departure. pic.twitter.com/cFavWHNNhZ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2024
Ten Hag’s men accrued 74 points in the calendar year 2023, ranking fifth and 19 off Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. The number was 40 in 2024 before the Dutchman was given the heave-ho — placing them eighth, 34 points back of their city rivals.
The rot went on too long, and it was time to correct course. Ten Hag embracing an overly transitional style and intransigently sticking to it was a recipe for disaster. INEOS lacking the bravery to jettison the two-time domestic cup champion in the summer beggared belief.
The weird vow renewal between manager and club was unlikely to last…and so it proved.
Ellis Stevens
Yes, Manchester United were ultimately right to sack Erik ten Hag.
1,739 – Manchester United faced 1,739 shots in their 128 games under Erik ten Hag. Since 2022-23, Manchester City have faced 717 fewer shots than United despite playing six more games in that time. Unsustainable. pic.twitter.com/OEe6RDMyaO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2024
The Dutchman had broken numerous negative records during his time at the club, and sitting 14th in the Premier League table after nine matches is simply unacceptable for a club the size of Man United.
Lewis Nolan
Despite Erik ten Hag’s trophy successes, Man United were right to sack the Dutchman because the team had ultimately stagnated in the league and were showing no signs of real progress.
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