Erik ten Hag sacked: Why Manchester United ended the Dutchman’s reign

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14th in Premier League  

Erik ten Hag as been sacked by Manchester United following a dismal start to the season. The 53-year-old survived an internal review in the summer by new football leadership group INEOS but he oversaw United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season and failed to win their opening three Europa League games.

After a devastating 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday, United ended the weekend in 14th place with just three wins from nine games. And Ten Hag has paid the price with United confirming his departure in a statement this morning. It read: “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.”

Erik ten Hag’s Premier League troubles in 2024 

While Ten Hag may feel aggrieved at being relieved of his duties at Old Trafford so early into the new season, when we take a look at Man Utd’s form over the course of 2024 it begins to underline exactly why the club felt obliged to act so soon. The Dutch manager would undoubtedly point to his FA Cup success as signs of improvements, but his team’s form in the Premier League over the course of 2024 was well below par and considerably off the pace set by Man Utd’s historical rivals in the English top-flight.

As the graphic above shows, having played 27 league games in 2024, Ten Hag’s side had picked up just 40 points. Not only is that almost half the return of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side and considerably less than Arsenal or Liverpool, but it was also just five points more than Fulham and Bournemouth, who are typically considered to be clubs that aim for mid-table in the Premier League, while fighting off the constant threat of relegation. As such, there was simply no evidence to suggest that Ten Hag was capable of turning things around at Man Utd to the extent that he could claim the club were in good shape to fight for a top four or even top six finish as things currently stand. Also in Europe, Ten Hag only picked up one win in his last 11 matches on the continent to further signify that his time was up at Old Trafford.

How much did Erik ten Hag spend at Manchester United? 

There will undoubtedly be serious questions asked of the quality of players Ten Hag had to work with during his time at Man Utd, but few could doubt that the Old Trafford club did spend money to try and compete with the best clubs in the Premier League. Since he joined the English side in the summer of 2022, Man Utd have spent a remarkable sum of €660 million on player transfers. And when we account for the €185m the club have made from player sales in that period of time, it puts Man Utd’s net spend in the transfer window during Ten Hag’s tenure at the club at a rather steep €475m.

Only one club in all of world football has spent more money in that period of time, with Chelsea outspending their Premier League rivals to a remarkable net spend figure of €790m. However, while the London club may have thrown more resources at their own squad, Man Utd fans would undoubtedly point to their own club outspending the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and even Man City in that period of time and question why Ten Hag wasn’t able to make the most of some serious investment in his squad.