Why Manchester United finally decided to sack Erik ten Hag
Man Utd have sacked manager Erik ten Hag following their 2-1 defeat to West Ham United in the Premier League.
Manchester United believe they had no choice but to sack manager Erik ten Hag after an unacceptable start to the new Premier League season.
The Dutchman was given his marching orders on Monday morning in the wake of United's dramatic 2-1 defeat to West Ham, that left his side 14th in the top-flight and just seven points above the relegation zone.
United sources say they wanted to give Ten Hag a fair opportunity to test himself in the new sporting structure, but decided that results, and crucially performances have not been good enough since they arrived at the club. United have taken just 40 points from 27 matches across the calendar year.
The view from United is that there are simply 'no excuses' for their current level of performance and that they have not seen any improvement from the squad despite their changes across all other areas of the club. Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of United as interim coach and be supported by the current coaching team while United search for a permanent replacement, with Julian Nagelsmann, Xavi Hernandez and Ruben Amorim all of interest.
United have only won four of their 14 matches across all competitions so far this season, and have a goal difference of minus three in the Premier League. So far this season, United have achieved 1.2 points per game, far below the levels they expected, and on course to be even lower than the 1.58 points per game they averaged last season when they achieved their lowest ever Premier League finish.
United considered sacking Ten Hag following their FA Cup triumph over Man City back in May, but despite speaking to numerous candidates, ultimately decided they were best place sticking with the Dutchman for the current season.
Following their strategic review, it was initially claimed Ten Hag had been handed a new one-year contract at the club, only for it to transpire they had triggered a clause to extended his existent deal on the same terms, which meant he remained manager rather than head coach and retained a strong influence on recruitment.