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29th October 2024
10:29am GMT
Erik Ten Hag's time as Manchester United manager ended on Monday. The club sacked the Dutch coach after a terrible start to the season, with the Red Devils currently in 14th place with 11 points from nine games.
The 2-1 loss to West Ham United on Sunday was the final straw for the Old Trafford decision-makers.
Man United, who lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur already this season, have opted to make a change to try to salvage their season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former Red Devils striker, has been named as interim manager.
Ten Hag came close to losing his job at the end of last season after a difficult campaign which saw the team finish in eighth place in the Premier League.
The former Ajax coach, however, remained in the post after masterminding a stunning FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Ten Hag was then given over €200m to spend on new players, but Man United have, somehow, got even worse this season.
Despite winning two trophies in two seasons, Ten Hag's record has been mixed across his time at Old Trafford.
Man United conceded three goals or more in 20 per cent of matches under the Dutch coach - this included some humiliating defeats, such as the 7-0 loss to Liverpool in March 2023 and a 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace back in May.
In addition to United's struggles on the field, it appears that many within the dressing room had lost faith in Ten Hag.
According to reports, there were two key reasons why many Man United players had 'misgivings' about the manager.
The first one relates to his training methods, while the second reason is down to his selection choices.
According to The Times, some Man United players felt that they were 'running too much in training.'
"One said that on his days off, he needed to spend all day recovering because he was so stiff," writes Paul Hirst and Charlotte Duncker.
"Upon leaving a national camp earlier this season one senior player from a rival club poked fun at a United star, telling him in front of his team-mates: 'He doesn’t want to go back because all they do there is run'."
Meanwhile, the Manchester Evening News report likewise. Samuel Luckhurst writes that Ten Hag was blamed by some for the club's injury issues.
"Some established players privately blamed Ten Hag’s intense training methods for the injury toll. His running demands were compared to the former Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa by a player who frequents the same circles as past and present Leeds players."
Many within the squad also reportedly lost faith in Ten Hag because he showed 'favouritism' towards players he brought to the club.
They are said to feel this way towards Antony, in particular. The Brazilian winger has been a disappointing signing and scored just one Premier League goal last season.
Some squad members are said to believe that there were others more worthy of starting, such as Amad Diallo, but Ten Hag was too stubborn to change.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reports that Ten Hag's man-management, and communication skills, were 'not his strong suit.'
Following Ten Hag's dismissal, several United players, including Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Alejandro Garnacho, and Rasmus Hojlund, wished the Dutch coach well on social media.
Man United are now searching for their sixth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Sporting Lisbon coach Rúben Amorim is reportedly the club's first choice to replace Ten Hag.
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