Manchester United makes a late decision to sack Erik ten Hag

Manchester United has finally decided to terminate Erik ten Hag's poor tenure following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham, a result that left the club in a mere 14th place in the Premier League table, with three victories in nine matches.

Furthermore, the Red Devils currently sit in 21st place in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, a disappointing outcome for the strong favourites to win the competition. The emergency situation has led interim manager Van Nistelrooy to take charge before the suspension of matches for the UEFA Nations League in November.

Erik ten Hag joined Manchester United in 2022 with high expectations after an excellent stint at Ajax. The manager fulfilled his mission by finishing his first season in third place, but the following year was marred by various issues related to a lack of consistent intensity.

With £399.6 million spent, Manchester United was the second highest-spending club since Ten Hag took over, only behind Chelsea (£715.6 million). However, the expectations have never managed to materialize into reality despite the investments, with only 44 victories in 85 Premier League matches.

Manchester United management took a long time to act

The FA Cup title won against Manchester City at the end of the 2023/24 season ultimately provided an additional vote of confidence for Erik ten Hag, despite all the protests from the fans during the course of the season. The Dutchman has always defended his position, claiming to be aligned with the club's project, but reality has imposed itself.

The action Ratcliffe should have taken before the start of the season would have been to dismiss Erik ten Hag and extend special thanks for winning the FA Cup title, much like Juventus did with Massimiliano Allegri in Italy. Under the management of Thiago Motta, Juve currently sits in third place in Serie A and is competing for the title, while Manchester United is languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.

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