BREAKING: Man United sacks Erik ten Hag, appoints new coach after club’s horrible display vs Liverpool yesterday
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been told that he is already fighting to spare himself from the sack after Sunday’s debacle at home to Liverpool and with an observer from his homeland suggesting “his time has passed” and that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s judgement to extend his stay was a “big mistake”.
The Dutchman has spent the last 11 months of his reign in the firing line with his second season at the helm not going to plan and with Manchester United having humiliated themselves in the Champions League, finishing bottom, before going to only manage an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League – their lowest ever since the competition began.
And with speculation mounting that the axe was about to fall, an unexpected victory in the FA Cup final against Manchester City earned Ten Hag salvation and, ultimately, an unexpected contract extension.
United’s minority shareholder Ratcliffe, though, certainly took his sweet time to deliver his verdict and extend the 54-year-old’s deal by a further 12 months and through until the summer of 2026.
Ultimately, that cup success – the second piece of silverware he has delivered at Old Trafford since taking charge, pitching him alongside Jose Mourinho as the club’s most-successful manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired – ultimately earned him a reprieve.
And while the fanbase were largely behind the decision, together with the fact that Ten Hag was allowed to spend another £200m this summer on five new players, there is already a feeling of deja vu in the way the current season is planning out.
Indeed, a somewhat fortuitous victory over Fulham on the opening weekend was followed up with a late, yet extremely naive, defeat at Brighton on matchday two.
