The reason Man United sacked Erik ten Hag

United took the 'difficult and finely balanced decision' to sack Ten Hag

On Monday afternoon, it was announced that the Dutchman had been sacked as manager of the club, just 116 days after having his contract extended.

In a statement, United said: “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."

The club revealed assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy would be taking charge as interim head coach whilst a "permanent head coach is recruited."

The likes of Gareth Southgate, Xavi, Thomas Frank and even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have emerged as the early front runners for the job.

The Manchester Evening News reports that the club hierarchy decided to sack Ten Hag now due to poor results and performances.

Sources at the club said they took a "difficult and finely balanced decision" to dismiss the former Ajax boss after losing faith in him because of performances and results this calendar year.

The Red Devils are said to believe they put everything in place for Ten Hag to deliver results, and there were therefore no excuses for a poor start to the season of just four wins in 14 games.

Most interesting is the fact that United apparently took last season's performances into account, results that came before they decided to extend his contract.

Ten Hag won the FA Cup with United in the last game of last season and was handed a contract extension until 2026.

According to the MEN, the club had wanted to give him the opportunity to work under a new structure and maintain continuity as an overhaul of the club took place behind the scenes under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

A key stat in the decision to sack Ten Hag was United's average of 1.2 points per game in the league this season. The club highlighted this as an issue as they believe they'll need around 70 points to finish in the top four and secure Champions League qualification.

United currently sit 14th in the Premier League and have failed to win any of their three Europa League games this season.

They fell to a 2-1 defeat at struggling West Ham on Sunday, following a controversial Jarrod Bowen penalty in stoppage time.