- Erik ten Hag was hired as the manager at Manchester United in April 2022 after a successful period at Ajax in the Netherlands.
- In his time at United, ten Hag won the League Cup and the FA Cup, but the team has been inconsistent in the Premier League.
- On Monday, October 28, ten Hag was fired by the club after a 2-1 loss to West Ham left United sitting in 14th place in the league.
Manchester United are one of the biggest names in world soccer, but the club has gone through a rough stretch over the last few seasons. Erik ten Hag was brought in just over two years ago to change their fortunes. However, despite wins in the FA Cup and League Cup, United has continued to struggle in the Premier League.
On Monday, October 28, Manchester United decided ten Hag’s time was up, and fired the Dutch manager.
Pressure on ten Hag Was Too Much to Overcome
United lost 2-1 at West Ham on Sunday, and various outlets reported on Monday morning that ten Hag had been fired after weeks of uncertainty. The club issued a statement regarding ten Hag’s status.
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.
United triggered a one-year extension on ten Hag’s contract in May after the team beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup. It was ten Hag’s second trophy with the club after beating Newcastle in the 2023 League Cup final. However, it wasn’t enough to save his job.
Ruud van Nistelrooy will take over the first-team duties on an interim basis, while the search begins for a full-time manager. Of course, van Nistelrooy is a legend at United, where he scored 150 goals in 219 games between 2001 and 2006 before leaving for Real Madrid.
It’s a tough time for Manchester United right now, who are more likely to be on the wrong side of soccer parlays with their struggles. It’s not like ten Hag hasn’t been backed in the transfer market, either. United’s $102-million transfer to bring in Antony, who played for ten Hag at Ajax, is an unmitigated disaster. Another signing, Joshua Zirkzee, has had a slow start to his United career, while the jury is still out on Rasmus Hojlund and Matthijs de Ligt.
It hasn’t been all bad for ten Hag, who did oversee the two trophy wins at United. Lisandro Martínez has been a great signing, while the Dutchman has also overseen the development of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. However, ten Hag’s handling of the young players wasn’t enough to overcome the pressure on him.
Who Will Be the Next Manchester United Manager?
While you’re on the hunt for soccer player props this week, you’ll likely run into the options for the next Manchester United manager at online sportsbooks. The favorite is van Nistelrooy to hang on to the job, and the former United striker does have experience. He started managing the PSV Under-17s in June 2013, then moved up to the Under-19s before progressing to the first team. Van Nistelrooy also assisted with the Dutch national team after Euro 2014, and before Euro 2020.
However, van Nistelrooy might not have enough first-team experience yet. Gareth Southgate left the England job after taking the team to the Euro 2024 final, where they lost to Spain. There were rumors of Southgate taking over for ten Hag this summer.
Xavi is also available after he was let go at Barcelona, the club where he was a star throughout his career. Over the weekend, Xavi’s wife posted a picture of the former Barça player and manager with his son, who was wearing a Manchester United jersey.
There will be more rumors in the coming days, and United has a League Cup game against Leicester on Wednesday, as well as a massive match against Chelsea on Sunday in the Premier League.
It’ll be interesting to see if the team comes out flying against a good Chelsea squad at home. The players really like van Nistelrooy, so he’ll get the first chance to prove he should be the next manager of Manchester United.
