New Delhi: It was a matter of when and not if Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag as the club’s manager. United were so bad under the 54-year-old in the current season that United hierarchy, despite having backed the Dutchman in the summer by extending his current contract by a year and granting a £205.9m transfer budget, ran out of patience just nine games into the season.
Ten Hag led the Red Devils to their worst ever start to a Premier League season and has left the club reeling in the 14th place on the Premier League table. The 13-time Premier League champions have only won three of their first nine games, losing four of them. They have scored only eight goals in the league currently, which is the second lowest in the division behind only bottom-placed Southampton and 17th-placed Crystal Palace.
Despite the criticism that Ten Hag faced during his tenure as Manchester United manager, he isn’t the first manager to come to the club with huge fanfare, only for his tenure to end in sourness. The same has happened with legendary managers like Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ralf Rangnick. With reports circling of Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim being the next Red Devils boss, is the Portuguese heading to what has become a graveyard for managers?
A Poisoned Chalice?
The stats behind every Man Utd manager since Sir Alex Ferguson 👀📊 pic.twitter.com/WkoSt9Lcru
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 29, 2024
Since Sir Ferguson’s retirement, no manager has lasted more than three years at the club. This alarming trend suggests an issue at club level that transcends individual coaching failures. The club has seen five different managers since 2013, all of whom brought unique philosophies, yet no one managed to halt the decline. This cycle has created a toxic atmosphere that any new manager must navigate carefully.
The job has been described as a “poisoned chalice,” with each appointment bringing new promises of reform that have ultimately fizzled out. The reality is that any prospective manager will inherit not just a team struggling for form but a club with a historical pattern of instability that has seeped into its very culture. The same thing happened with Erik Ten Hag because the Dutchman was a highly reputed coach when he joined the Red Devils.
Poor Recruitment Strategy
Over half a billion pounds spent on Malacia, Lisandro, Casemiro, Antony, Weghorst, Mount, Højlund, Zirkzee, Mazraoui, de Ligt, and Ugarte.
Took United to their worst-ever PL finish and now has left them in 14th.
Thank you Erik ten Hag for your contribution to United’s downfall. pic.twitter.com/1XVarCRxtH
— (Sham) (@Shamsdale) October 28, 2024
The club’s strategy for player acquisition has often been haphazard, with an over-reliance on marquee signings rather than building a well-rounded team. This has left the manager grappling with a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive unit. The number of transfers that have not worked out over the past decade is enormous. Starting right from Angel Di Maria in the first season post Sir Alex’s retirement to Jadon Sancho, who was just let go to Chelsea in this summer window.
This poor recruitment strategy creates immediate challenges for any new manager that comes to the club. Constant recruitment of high profile players that don’t work out well creates an incoherent squad dynamic. Ten Hag faced numerous issues related to player recruitment and injuries, leaving behind a roster filled with second-rate players who often appear misaligned with the tactical vision. The squad lacks depth, quality, and cohesion, resulting in disjointed performances that have become all too familiar.
The Burden of Expectations
The role of being Manchester United’s manager is probably the biggest job in England, given Manchester United’s illustrious history, and the aura of Sir Alex Ferguson, which still lingers around at Old Trafford to this day. Any new manager at the club will face enormous pressure to deliver immediate results. The expectations are not just about winning games; they extend to restoring the club’s position among the elite in both domestic and European competitions.
This pressure is compounded by the club’s fanbase, which has been increasingly frustrated by years of mediocrity. The club’s hierarchy, now led by billionaire owner Jim Ratcliffe and his sporting deputy, Dave Brailsford, has promised reforms, but the path to tangible improvements is unclear. New signings and ambitious goals have not translated into success on the pitch, leaving a potential new manager caught in a web of high expectations and minimal support.
Stuck in a vicious cycle
Any manager that comes to a club with a stature of Manchester United, definitely has to focus on delivering immediate success while also building the team for the future. Just take a look at what Pep Guardiola has done since 2016 at rivals Manchester City and that is the blueprint that every top club wants to follow currently. This will involve rebuilding trust within the squad, establishing a clear tactical identity, and ensuring that the recruitment process is coherent and forward-thinking. However, with the club not competing at the level they’re expected to, the main focus of a manager has to be short term success.
If there’s no short term success, there’s no reason to keep a manager on board for a long time and if a manager isn’t allowed a long time at the club, he can’t build the team for the future. The club have now long been stuck in this vicious cycle. The new manager will not only need to focus on winning matches but also on reshaping the club’s culture and identity. Only through a comprehensive approach addressing these deep-rooted issues can Manchester United hope to rise from its prolonged crisis. Until then, any immediate success may prove elusive, as the club continues to wrestle with its demons.
