Manchester united have sacked manager Erik Ten Hag!

Due to their poor start to the season, Manchester United fired manager Erik ten Hag.

While a permanent head coach is being sought, Ruud van Nistelrooy will serve as the team's interim coach.

Manchester United's management has called the decision to fire Ten Hag, who spent more than £600 million in transfer costs during his tenure and was only granted a contract extension in July after surviving a summer review, "difficult and finely balanced." United is expected to spend around £13.5 million as a result of Ten Hag's dismissal.

It is believed that Ten Hag was "taken aback" by the timing of his removal. Less than twenty-four hours after their contentious 2-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday, the club's board reportedly reached a unanimous conclusion.

Most importantly, the team's on-field performance was deemed inadequate.

Contrary to Ten Hag's remarks, the leadership believed there were no justifications for United's current situation and did not believe the squad was headed in the right direction. Out of their 14 games this season, they have only won four.

"No-one watches United and doesn't think the players are better than what they are showing," Gary Neville stated. "The lack of identity and style is something that has been a mystery for the last two-and-a-half seasons."

In a brief statement, United said, "We wish Erik well for the future and are grateful for everything he has done during his time with us."

What went wrong at Manchester United for Ten Hag?

Ten Hag's two-and-a-half-year tenure ends with United in 14th place in the Premier League.

The 54-year-old former Ajax manager was first supported by new co-owners INEOS in the summer, authorising over £200 million in the most recent transfer window. Since his appointment in April 2022, expenditure has surpassed £616 million.

Although he led Manchester United to an unexpected FA Cup final victory over rivals Man City before the season ended, the group first considered a number of other candidates to replace him after the team finished in eighth place in the Premier League, their lowest top-flight standing since 1990.

Neville's harsh evaluation: Bad watch, no style

The Gary Neville of Sky Sports:

"For the past two and a half seasons, the absence of identity and style has been a mystery.

"Although the hiring process has occasionally been terrible, I think there are some players who are capable of playing better than they are.

"The main issue has been a lack of style. Watching them perform is really difficult, and nothing has changed in the past 18 months. The outcomes have been just as awful as that.

"No one who watches United doesn't believe that the players are more talented than they are displaying.

"I believed it was imminent. I thought I had seen this previously when I watched that Tottenham match a few weeks ago. Erik ten Hag had a terrible day, and so did Manchester United.

"Overall, the owners have chosen to fire him due to the difficulties with his performances and outcomes. I doubt that anyone will be genuinely surprised.

"No justifications—other owners would have fired sooner."

Solhekol Kaveh:

"I don't believe Erik ten Hag has any justifications. In March 2023, he managed the world's largest club, and despite losing against Liverpool 7-0, he managed to keep his position. That is astounding to me.

"He is a decent man and easy to get along with, yet he is unable to make any justifications. Many other proprietors would have given up and fired him far sooner.

Carra: A foolish choice to retain Ten Hag throughout the summer

Carragher, Jamie:

"The summer is when this decision ought to have been made. That is the fault of the club's new ownership, not Ten Hag.

"They have wasted £200 million and kicked the can down the road for nine league games.

"That they retained him on the job seems foolish. It seems to you that he needed to be at the top of the league to prevent this from occurring.

"The most important factor was the play's style. In certain respects, the outcomes are always the most significant, but you also need to consider the team's future.

"It hasn't been a disaster, he won two trophies in two years but the style of football, how easy they are to play against, there was no way they were ever going to be in contention for the Premier League or Champions League."

"Five managers have been shortlisted to replace Ten Hag."

Melissa Reddy:

In recent weeks, Manchester United have been preparing backup plans in case Erik ten Tag's performance and results did not improve.

Although Ruud van Nistelrooy will be in interim command, Livesports News believes that a shortlist of approximately five managers has been reviewed. This will give the leadership team the time and space they need to complete a rigorous procedure when choosing the future manager.

Ultimately, United did not believe Ten Hag could lead the campaign in the proper direction, despite their desire to give him at least a full season under the new INEOS-powered setup.

When West Ham converted a contentious late penalty on Sunday, United should have won the match, so Carrington and Old Trafford were shocked that the judgement was finally made.

It is acknowledged, therefore, that the team's loss despite their dominance at London Stadium served as the last straw in persuading the club's management to fire them.

Late on Monday morning, Ten Hag received word that he would no longer be serving in his position.