Ten hag sacked!

Erik ten Hag. Pic/AFP

Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag following the club's lacklustre start to the season, the fallen Premier League giants announced Monday. United dropped to a lowly 14th in the table after suffering their fourth defeat in nine league games at West Ham on Sunday and have won only one of their last eight games in all competitions.

"Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men's first-team manager," said a club statement. "Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future."

Nistelrooy to take over

United added former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who returned to the club as Ten Hag's assistant in July, would now serve as interim manager. Even before the West Ham loss, Dutch manager Ten Hag had presided over United's worst start to an English top-flight campaign since the 1989-90 season. The 54-year-old's position had been repeatedly called into question after United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe kept the former Ajax boss, on board following an internal review of his position at the end of last season after an eighth-place Premier League finish.

Also Read: Man United end barren run

Ten Hag was even rewarded with a one-year extension of his contract to June 2026 after a shock FA Cup final victory over rivals Manchester City in May. However, he failed to find the solutions to many of his side's struggles from last season. Former Ajax boss Ten Hag, who joined United in May 2022, had fiercely defended his record in recent weeks after winning two trophies in his two full seasons in charge. United ended a six-year wait for silverware by beating Newcastle in the 2023 League Cup final. The Red Devils also reached the FA Cup final and finished third in the Premier League in an encouraging debut season for Ten Hag.

Injury woes

However, the wheels came off in his second season as injuries to key players, the lack of a meaningful impact from big money signings and Ten Hag's failure to implement a clear style of play led to a number of embarrassing results. For all Ten Hag's faults, he oversaw just a small period of United's more general decline since legendary ex-manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Man United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson

>> David Moyes (2013-2014)
>> Louis van Gaal (2014-2016)
>> Jose Mourinho (2016-2018)
>> Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2018-2021)
>> Erik ten Hag (2022-2024)

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