Former striker will take command of the English team

After a disappointing start to the English Championship, Manchester United announced the dismissal of Dutch coach Erik ten Hag this Monday. In charge since April 2022, the coach came close to being dismissed by the club in the middle of last season, but was retained after winning the FA Cup over Manchester City. The decision comes the day after the team’s defeat to West Ham on Sunday.

“Erik ten Hag has left his role as coach of the Manchester United men’s first team. Erik was appointed in April 2022 and has led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the English League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. We are We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and we wish him all the best for the future,” the club said in a statement.

During his time at the club, Ten Hag divided the fans’ opinion. Previously at Ajax, the coach was hired by the English team with the dismissal of Ole Günnar Solskjaer, at the end of 2021. At the time, the Dutch club was at the top of the tournament table in his country and Ten Hag had prestige across the European continent

In Manchester, the coach took over a squad that included Cristiano Ronaldo among its stars. But the Portuguese player, the club’s idol, lost more and more space with the arrival of the new coach. A few months after the change of coach, the athlete announced his move to Saudi football and needled Lt. Hag, “I have no respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I will never have respect for you,” he said.

In the more than two years he spent in charge of United, the Dutchman was in charge of the squad 128 times. They won 72 wins, got 20 draws and suffered 36 defeats. By way of comparison, Ajax, in the almost five years with the coach, did not reach that number of lost matches: there were only 29 in 215 games.

This European season, United’s performance has been even worse. Finishing 2023/24 in eighth place in the English Championship, the team only managed a place in the group stage of the Europa League, in which they played three matches, all ending in draws.

In English this season, the results have been even worse. In nine rounds, the club won only three times. Two draws and four defeats close the account. In 14th place in the table, the Manchester team sees their city rival, Manchester City, take the lead in the tournament with 23 points.

As the coach’s replacement, Ruud van Nistelrooy, former number 10 of the English team, takes over as interim until a new coach is selected.