New Delhi: It has finally been confirmed that Erik Ten Hag has been sacked after a disappointing stint at Manchester United. He has had his good moments at the club, but eventually his time with the Red Devils turned out to be a complete disaster. Fresh off from a title winning season at Ajax, the Dutch manager tactician was brought into Manchester United with high hopes, and the he certainly didn’t disappoint in his first season at Old Trafford, finishing third in 2022/23 season after a disappointing 2021/22 campaign, where they finished sixth.
Since then, nothing seems to have gone his way as his problems just kept on increasing at the club, with a few controversial moments that had completely ruined his reputation. Fans and the journalists wanted the Dutch manager out of the club, after his constant run of bad form. However, as it has already been confirmed that Erik Ten Hag has already been sacked by the Red Devils, let’s have a look at few of his major good moments at the club while also looking at what went wrong for the Dutchman.
Ten Hag’s best moments at the club
Ten Hag’s tenure at Manchester United did produce some good moments at the club, with a few big results against some of the biggest clubs in England as well as in Europe. One of his biggest win would certainly be the 2-1 win against United’s neighbours, Manchester City back in January 2023. Ten Hag’s second bite at the Manchester derby carried on the theme of his first season’s impressive home performances. However, this comeback victory against the Sky Blues was all the more precious because of the earlier campaign’s defeat at the Etihad.
There have been a few big results for the Red Devils under Erik Ten Hag including a 2-1 win against FC Barcelona in the Europa League where a hard-fought draw at Camp Nou set up an enticing second-leg clash back in Manchester the following week. A Robert Lewandowski opener meant more of that fighting spirit was required and Brazilian duo Fred and Antony duly came up with the goods.
🚨🔴 CONFIRMED: Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Manchester United with immediate effect as exclusively revealed!
Ruud van Nistelrooy will replace ten Hah as interim manager, the decision has been made. pic.twitter.com/r3ed9btRX8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 28, 2024
Ten Hag’s greatest United accomplishment to yet is probably the second ever all Manchester FA Cup final, which was played barely a year after the first. The Dutchman promoted both Red Devil’s goal scorers, Garnacho and Mainoo, from our Academy, and they were crucial in helping us defeat our rivals and win England’s main domestic cup competition.
One of the two trophies that Ten Hag won at United was the Carabao Cup. Ten Hag had to face his first big final with the Reds that weekend, so there was no time to celebrate the victory over Barca throughout the week. A clean sheet, two goals in the first half, and the manager’s first United title were all won.
Above all, the Red Devils did have a few good moments under Erik Ten Hag, but the turbulent times were just too much to handle and things just did not work for the Dutch manager.
What went wrong for Ten Hag?
OFFICIAL: Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag ❌ pic.twitter.com/9tESveZymo
— 433 (@433) October 28, 2024
Manchester United have had some of their most turbulent times under Erik Ten Hag and the previous season was without a doubt was the worst one that the Red Devils have ever had. Besides this season has been their worst ever start to a campaign.
Ten Hag was not very excellent, thus he is out. In his last eight games in all competitions, he had only won once. After losing to West Ham on Sunday, United dropped to 14th position, one season below their eighth-place finish, which is the lowest in the Premier League’s history. Over the previous two months, poor performance and results had become a trend that felt more and more unbreakable.
However, there is also a more general tendency to take into account, one that should deter possible successors but not necessarily absolve Ten Hag. No United manager has remained in the position for three years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Poor player recruitment, inexperienced executives, and outdated structures have been the issues over the years. The result is a disjointed team of mediocre players who don’t seem to click on the field or in the paper.
