Erik ten Hag sacked LIVE: Manchester United line up next manager with Ruud van Nistelrooy named interim boss
Ten Hag has been sacked after Man Utd made their worst start to a Premier League season
Manchester United are searching for a new permanent manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked just weeks into the season, with former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy taking interim charge.
United made their worst start to a Premier League campaign after nine games and Ten Hag has been relieved of his duties despite signing a one-year contract extension in the summer.
The Dutchman won the FA Cup by beating Manchester City at Wembley to seemingly save his job, but United also held talks with potential replacements after a record-low 8th place finish in the Premier League.
United failed to improve, leaving minority owners Ineos and their new-look football operations department with their first major decision to make.
United spoke to Thomas Tuchel this summer but the German has since been appointed England manager and is out of contention.
But Ineos are admirers of former England manager Gareth Southgate, and there has also been interest in Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Sporting’s Ruben Amorim.
Follow all the reaction to Ten Hag’s sacking and updates on United’s new manager search in our live blog below
Erik ten Hag admits ‘luck not on my side’ in final Man United press conference
Erik ten Hag admitted luck was “not on his side” in his final Manchester United press conference as manager on Sunday, 27 October.
It came after United slipped to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season at West Ham. They now sit in the bottom half of the table, having won one of their last eight games in all competitions.
In a statement, the club thanked Ten Hag for his work and wished him well for the future. Ruud van Nistelrooy has been named interim head coach as United recruit a permanent head coach.
Manchester United’s statement
Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag as manager and released this statement on their website and social media pages:
“Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
“Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”
Bruno Fernandes sends message to Erik ten Hag after Manchester United sack manager
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes thanked Erik ten Hag in a social media post shortly after the Dutchman was sacked just nine games into the Premier League season.
Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his two-and-a-half years in charge and made Fernandes his captain after taking the armband off Harry Maguire in July 2023.
But United slumped to their worst-ever Premier League finish of 8th last campaign and results did not improve this season with just one win in their last eight games in all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes sends message to Erik ten Hag after Manchester United sack manager
Ten Hag made Fernandes his captain and they lifted the FA Cup last season before a poor start to the campaign
Can Van Nistelrooy succeed?
Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy only returned to the club in the summer to become assistant to Erik ten Hag as part of a coaching reshuffle.
As a player he spent five seasons at Old Trafford joining as a striker in 2001. He scored 150 goals, putting him 11th on the club’s all-time list.
He had been out of work since quitting as PSV Eindhoven manager just before the end of the 2022/23 season after he had won the Dutch Cup in his first term.
‘Ineos could have handled things better’ says Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand believes the Man Utd higher ups could have done a better job at replacing Erik ten Hag especially when they were looking at changing the manager in the summer.
Ferdinand said: “I look at Ineos and I think about the way things panned out at the end of the season. Did they back themselves into a corner, with the way that they handled stuff in the summer?
“They’ll look back and go ‘we could have handled it better’. I think having a manager in place and actively looking for new managers and it becoming public knowledge, isn’t a great way to do it.
“It isn’t a great way to advertise for the job. It’s hard for the guy coming in, to come in under that cloud.
“It’s also even harder for the guy whose in the hot seat, still the manager and then they keep him as the manager and he has to face questions constantly about his standing within the organisation.
“It’s not easy to navigate through a situation that is so public, a club the size of Manchester United but if they’re honest, Ineos - they could have done that in a better way.”
Ferdinand reacts to Ten Hag sacking
Speaking live on his YouTube channel reacting to Erik ten Hag’s sacking Rio Ferdinand said: “Am I surprised? No.
“They kept the man in charge, season kicks in, I actually thought we were starting to see some new signs in the first two or three games, and then we get beat by Liverpool and never recovered.
“It was like a boxer getting hit and knocked down in the third round and never recovering and getting knocked out, knocked down, every single round on the way to the 12th round.
“And finally, we’re here. The fight’s been called off in the last round for the manager, and I think now we’re going to go for a new direction.”
Fight’s been called off – Erik ten Hag like ‘boxer knocked down’ says Ferdinand
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand likened Erik ten Hag’s reign to a boxer getting “knocked down” and “never recovering”.
Ten Hag was sacked as United first-team manager on Monday following a disappointing start to the season.
They slipped into 14th in the Premier League table following their fourth league defeat of the season, by West Ham on Sunday.
Speculation had mounted over the Dutchman’s position in recent weeks and Ferdinand admitted he was unsurprised to see the boss go.
Fight’s been called off – Erik ten Hag like ‘boxer knocked down’ says Ferdinand
The Manchester United manager was sacked on Monday after yet another Premier League defeat.
Man Utd managers since Sir Alex Ferguson
Erik ten Hag (July 2022-October 2024)
P128 W70 D23 L35 Trophies: 2
Dutchman Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford with a formidable reputation having guided Ajax to a hat-trick of Eredivise titles having impressed the club’s hierarchy with his long-term vision.
He ended the club’s six-year wait for a major trophy when they lifted the Carabao Cup in February last year before leading them to a top-three finish and Champions League qualification.
However, a miserable second season blighted by injuries and faltering form saw United exit Europe after the group stage and finish eighth in the Premier League, their worst ever return.
They did beat rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final to temper that but made a disappointing start to this season, where they sat in 14th place following defeat by West Ham when Ten Hag departed.
Man Utd managers since Sir Alex Ferguson
Ralf Rangnick (December 2021–May 2022)
P29 W11 D10 L8 Trophies: 0
The German was drafted in as interim boss with a view to transitioning to a two-year consultancy, but never took up the extended role after accepting the post of manager of the Austria national team.
Rangnick guided the club to a sixth-place finish with their lowest Premier League points tally of 58 while all the time talking up the overhaul required to revitalise the club.
Man Utd managers since Sir Alex Ferguson
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (December 2018-November 2021)
P168 W91 D37 L40 Trophies: 0
The former United striker transformed the mood at Old Trafford after initially taking charge on a caretaker basis, winning 14 from 19 games to earn the job permanently.
Solskjaer led United to third in 2019-20 and runners-up a year later, when they also lost the Europa League final on penalties. But despite the progress made, the 1999 treble hero paid for a series of poor performances when he lost his job in November 2021.
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