Erik ten Hag sacked LIVE: Ruben Amorim ‘in talks’ as Manchester United line up next manager
Ten Hag has been sacked after Man Utd made their worst start to a Premier League season
Manchester United are in talks with Ruben Amorim after Erik ten Hag was sacked just weeks into the season.
The Sporting coach is understood to be considering the opportunity after the Old Trafford hierarchy put the 39-year-old at the top of their list to replace Ten Hag, who was relieved of his duties just four months after signing a one-year contract extension.
United made their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign under Ten Hag and former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will take interim charge while the search for a permanent head coach is conducted.
There has also been interest in Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Brentford’s Thomas Frank while Spain legend and former Barcelona boss Xavi is available.
Follow all the reaction to Ten Hag’s sacking and updates on United’s new manager search in our live blog below
More from Gary Neville
The former Man Utd captain spoke to Sky Sports to give his initial reaction to the news and described how the owners must have been thinking about this change for a while.
He added: “I suspect that Tottenham game would be a catalyst to look for a new manager, being in that position, you look who’s available, being diligent and then think of the timing. In our position, you’re hoping the manager will turn it around, start to win matches, 99/100 when you’ve made the decision, the tide’s against you, it continues to go against you, they decided the next big loss, they’d have to act. They started, I’m sure, after Tottenham, it felt like the end. Even if it wasn’t actually the end.
“I think the lack of identity and style has been a mystery, recruitment has been poor. It’s been awful at times. I believe there’s a group of players who can play better than they are.
“I was shocked to see Eriksen and Casemiro starting and Ugarte on the bench. He’s not started brilliantly, but if I’m an owner, I look at that, those two getting on in age, this lad with legs, I’d ask questions. Lack of style of play has been a problem. It’s a struggle watching them play. As big a problem as the results.”
‘I thought it was coming’; Gary Neville reacts to Ten Hag sacking
Gary Neville has given some thoughts on the sacking of Erik ten Hag saying: “I thought it was coming, looking at Tottenham, I thought I’d seen this before and know how it ends. It was a bad day for Ten Hag, everybody thought that would be the day we would kick on, but it’s got worse. Missing chances yesterday was unacceptable, the decision was a bad one.
“The challenges of the performances, the owners have decided to sack Ten Hag, I don’t think anybody will be shocked.
“There will be those that say they have been proven right, fans wanted to continue with Ten Hag, give him an opportunity to succeed under a new structure. The shock has been how bad they’ve been, the new signings, to get a good performance and some stability. 14th? It’s unacceptable. The spend that’s occurred. I was hoping it would end differently, the faith shown in him would pay off, but it’s not the case.”
Van Nistelrooy’s first games in charge
With Ruud van Nistelrooy now operating as interim head coac for Manchester United here’s what he faces in his first few games.
First up are Leicester City in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford. The match takes place on Wednesday evening which is an incredibly short turn around.
After that, they play Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend and PAOK in Europe next week before another home game against Leicester in the league.
Four matches in quick succession is certainly a test but Van Nistelrooy could come out of it with credit in the bank if he wins all those games.
How much has each Man Utd manager spent since Sir Alex Ferguson?
BBC Sport are reporting on the net spend each Manchester United manager has had since Sir Alex Ferguson’s time at the club with the figures broken down below.
Erik ten Hag has the highest net spend (money spent minus money recouped from sales) of any Manchester United boss since Sir Alex Ferguson.
David Moyes (2013-14) £60.7m - Total: £60.7m
Louis Van Gaal (2014-16) £110m + £41.3m - Total: £151.3m
Jose Mourinho (2016-2018) £104m + £135m + £49m - Total: £288m
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2019-21) £143m + £66.5m + £97.4m - Total: £306.9m
Erik Ten Hag (2022-24) £187.8m + £118.20m + £95m - Total: £401m
(Figures provided by FootballTransfers.com for BBC Sport)
The Manchester United failing that proved the death of Erik ten Hag
There was a time when Manchester United came to West Ham, Wayne Rooney took aim from 57 yards and scored. Many a comparison with the past can damn this United side but, a decade on, Diogo Dalot came to West Ham, took aim at an unguarded goal from eight yards and missed. Whether it was excruciating or merely amusing depends on your perspective, but it was costly, summing up Manchester United’s self-destructive streak.
They contrived to lose a game in which they had been absurdly, astonishingly dominant before the break. Dalot was the worst offender but not the only one. “I collected six or seven 100 percent chances we should have scored,” said Erik Ten Hag. “But in football the best team does not always win.” And United’s finest half of the season still led to a fourth defeat.
The Manchester United failing that may prove the death of Erik ten Hag
West Ham 2-1 Man Utd: Ten Hag’s men fail to capitalise in front of goal as Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen secured the points for the hosts
How Erik ten Hag lost his way and dragged Manchester United into even deeper chaos
Erik ten Hag has a brand of defiance that sometimes made him sound a man apart. An unexpected taste of glory empowered him. “If they don’t want me, I go somewhere else to win trophies,” he said after defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Manchester United initially decided – albeit after speaking to a host of other managers – that they still did want him. Now, four months on, comes the decision they do not.
The FA Cup final was the extraordinary anomaly, the silverware in a slump that has lasted 14 months. Ten Hag can leave Old Trafford arguing he ended United’s six-year wait for honours, that only Pep Guardiola won more during his time in England. True as that is, his reign dragged them to historic lows.
Ten Hag, who shaped up during his debut season as United’s finest manager since Sir Alex Ferguson, instead became another who was chewed up and spat out. A reputation initially enhanced instead became diminished with every pratfall. It became ever harder to believe he steered Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals.
How Erik ten Hag lost his way and dragged Manchester United into even deeper chaos
Ten Hag walked into a mess at Old Trafford – now he leaves one, too
Erik ten Hag was wrong – Manchester United’s calamitous season is about the manager
Erik ten Hag felt he was a wronged man. Manchester United have decided he is the wrong man. A manager who has spent a fortune felt fortune had not favoured him. “In this moment, definitely the luck is not our side,” he lamented after the 2-1 defeat at West Ham.
In isolation, he may have had a point. Jarrod Bowen’s winner came from a dubious penalty decision, the sort that brings interminable debates about “process” and “clear and obvious”. Regardless of refereeing, United’s performance merited at least a point. But his broader argument didn’t stand.
“Three times this season we feel injustice,” said Ten Hag. But his side beat Brentford anyway after Ethan Pinnock’s opener when, contrary to United’s assertions, referee Sam Barrott had little option but to ask the bloodied Matthijs de Ligt to leave the pitch. They lost 3-0 to Tottenham but were trailing 1-0, and playing terribly, even before Bruno Fernandes got the red card that was eventually rescinded.
Ten Hag had said on Thursday he tries to “deny” and “ignore” that result. It nevertheless stands.
Erik ten Hag was wrong – Manchester United’s calamitous season is about the manager
The United manager has taken responsibility for recuitment at Old Trafford and so he must take responsibility for results too
Why was Erik ten Hag sacked?
Erik ten Hag has been relieved of his duties at Manchester United head coach following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday 27th October.
Ten Hag’s team sit 14th in the Premier League with three wins, two draws and four defeats from their first nine games of the season. It is the worst start to a Premier League campaign at this stage in the club’s history.
The Dutchman’s two seasons in charge have brought a Carabao Cup and an FA Cup to Old Trafford but a lack of style and a failure to imprint his own vision on the team has led to his downfall.
Ten Hag reacts to West Ham defeat
It seems as though Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday was the decisive factor in the board taking action against the manager.
Erik ten Hag revealed after the defeat that United lacked a killer instinct in front of goal which was their undoing.
Ten Hag said: “Football is not always the best team winning. Today it’s very obvious and clear. Today we were far better than the opponent and there are two things: we didn’t score and it was a very poor decision from the referee – on-field and definitely also off-field.
“I think we played very good football, the first hour it was really enjoyable to watch our team – so dynamic, so much variation, so creative, so many chances.
“That is the only thing we miss – killing in front of the goal. Sometimes you are in this pattern and you have to break the pattern but it will come because our players are clinical and they can be relentless in front of the goal, so it will come.”
Ruben Amorim stance revealed after Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag
Ruben Amorim is reluctant to leave Sporting mid-season, amid interest from Manchester United after the club sacked Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese is one of the names being considered as the beleaguered Old Trafford club attempt to decide what next after yet another defeat.
The 39-year-old has become one of the most highly-rated coaches in Europe, and is now widely seen as Pep Guardiola’s likeliest successor at Manchester City, having previously lauded the Spaniard as “a reference for all managers”.
That interest has come from the manner he has restored Sporting to the top of Portuguese football, as they already sit on top of the league after titles in 2020-21 and 2023-24. It is for that reason that Amorim does not want to leave the club mid-season, though, with the situation further complicated by a significant buy-out of around €20m for a foreign club.
Ruben Amorim stance revealed after Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag
The Portuguese coach is highly regarded at Old Trafford, as the Red Devils search for a new boss
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