Erik ten Hag sacking: Pressure on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS to make the right call
Well, who could have seen this coming?
Absolutely everyone, unfortunately. After losing to West Ham at the weekend, the news that Erik ten Hag had been sacked by Manchester United took nobody by surprise.
In fact, the prevailing sentiment in the aftermath of the Dutchman’s exit was that it should have happened much sooner.
Ten Hag’s dismissal was confirmed by a club statement released by Manchester United on Monday morning.
The statement went on to say that Ruud van Nistelrooy would take charge of the team as interim head coach whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.
The final straw
On the face of it, there was nothing special about a 2-1 defeat against West Ham. In terms of disappointing performances and devastating results under ten Hag, it wouldn’t even crack the top 10.
The truth of the matter is that ten Hag’s position at Manchester United had been growing increasingly untenable since the start of last season. The furrow in his brow was getting more pronounced by the day, and his post-match press conferences were progressively more defiant – never a good sign for any football manager.
Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium just happened to be when patience ran out.
Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United: A quick overview
Ten Hag’s two-and-a-half-year spell in charge of Manchester United was characterised by impressive highs and embarrassing lows. Two trophies in as many seasons could not quite overshadow the fact that he presided over United’s worst-ever Premier League season in 2023-24.
During this time, he had also been backed with signings cumulatively worth over half a billion pounds, comfortably the most of any United manager post-Sir Alex Ferguson.
Keeping in mind United’s dismal start to the current campaign, the Dutchman can have no complaints following his sacking. After all, it was he who declared at his first press conference as United manager that “an era can come to an end.”
The arrival of INEOS: The beginning of the end?
In February 2024, the INEOS Group, led by boyhood United fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe, took over control of the club’s football operations. Ten Hag had their backing to begin with, but as the poor results continued, his time in the Old Trafford dugout seemed to be drawing to a close.
In fact, reports suggest that United’s new co-owners had decided that ten Hag’s time was up before the FA Cup final. Regardless of the result, they had made up their mind to move on without him.
To that end, they cast the net far and wide in search of a suitable successor. Thomas Tuchel and Kieran McKenna were reportedly among the names considered, without any luck.
Ultimately, buoyed by a memorable triumph over Manchester City at Wembley, an end-of-season review led by INEOS head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford concluded that ten Hag was the man to turn things around at Old Trafford.
The decision-makers
Away from the pitch, the arrival of INEOS saw considerable upheaval at the boardroom level at Manchester United. Chief Executive Omar Berrada joined from local rivals Manchester City, while Dan Ashworth was convinced to join as sporting director from Newcastle United. Jason Wilcox soon followed from Southampton, taking up the role of technical director at the club.
One of the first acts of this newly assembled superteam was to trigger a contract extension for ten Hag that would see him remain in his position until June 2026. The same brains trust has now shown ten Hag the exit door less than four months after signing his new deal.
Underlying issues
The decision to let ten Hag go is widely regarded as the correct choice. However, the question remains for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United top brass – why did they not take the opportunity to move on in the summer when the ideal opportunity presented itself?
Publicly backing the manager while speaking to potential replacements behind the scenes betrays a lack of coherent strategy from the new management team at Manchester United. This approach left potential ten Hag replacements such as Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino free to accept jobs elsewhere.
With results not picking up, speculation regarding ten Hag’s future at the club grew ever stronger while the board remained inactive. Whether this was a case of loyalty or stubbornness remains to be seen.
Looking ahead
It took Sir Alex Ferguson seven years to win his first league title at Manchester United. He was afforded the time to implement his methods at the club and this approach reaped dividends. In later years, the club has tried to recreate it with Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and most recently with ten Hag, with little to no success.
The Manchester United faithful will be hoping that ten Hag’s exit is followed swiftly by a change in approach from the club. Every manager deserves time to establish their style of play, but the board also need to learn to display ruthlessness when the occasion demands it – for the good of the club.
The challenge that awaits ten Hag’s replacement
Reviving the wounded giant that is Manchester United is unquestionably one of football’s most inviting prospects currently.
The spotlight is now squarely on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his executives as they prepare to make their first permanent managerial appointment. As befits a club of United’s stature, the pressure to get the appointment right is considerable.
Initial reports suggest that Manchester United have identified Rúben Amorim from Sporting in Portugal as the ten Hag replacement. Amorim has guided Sporting to two league titles and two League Cups in four full seasons at the club. His side currently sits atop the league with a 100% record after nine matches in the current campaign.
If the powers that be at United decide that Amorim is their man to take the club forward, then they must be prepared to back him to the hilt with the requisite time and funds. The fans have a part to play as well, by tempering their expectations no matter how exciting the appointment could be.
Amorim is a highly-regarded coach from outside Europe’s top five leagues who has achieved success by setting up teams to play attractive, attacking football – but as Erik ten Hag will tell you from personal experience, that’s just a start.
