PL News: Ten Hag sacked by Man United

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There has been a managerial change at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag due to the club's disappointing start to the season.

Carabao Cup 2022/23 Final - Manchester United 2:0 Newcastle United - Wembley Stadium , London - February 26, 2023

Ten Hag's last match ended in a 2-1 defeat against West Ham, leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League with only three wins from their first nine matches.

The Red Devils are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League league stage, having drawn their three opening matches.

Club sources from the club have reportedly suggested that this was a difficult decision but a unanimous one among all the key decision makers. 

The club exercised a one-year extension in Ten Hag's contract after their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May. However, just over three months later, he has been dismissed.

United currently sit on 11 points after nine games, marking their second-lowest tally in the Premier League at this stage (only slightly better than the 10 points they had in the 2019-20 season).

Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ten Hag's Assistant Manager, has been named as interim manager whilst the search for the club's 6th manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement begins. 

My reaction and analysis

Ten Hag departs - 1

If we're being honest, this decision was probably made after United's 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the end of last season. Following that game, it almost became a foregone conclusion that Erik ten Hag's departure was inevitable.

The club did not attempt to hide the fact that they were in discussions with several potential managers, including Thomas Tuchel. It was just waiting until after the FA Cup final to announce this decision.

It wasn’t simply United’s FA Cup victory over Manchester City that mattered; it was how they played. Ten Hag had been insisting for weeks that, if he could get all his key players back from injury, his side would perform at a higher level. And on that day, that’s exactly what happened.

Given the circumstances and the limited alternatives available, INEOS were left uncertain about which direction to take. They decided to give Ten Hag the chance to prove that the performance wasn’t a one-off. Unfortunately for him, it turned out that it was.

Who should replace Ten Hag?

We put forward some of the suggestions in the Twitter post below. Select one of the four.

Liam C, another United fan and European Super Football contributor said: "I believe Southgate would provide exactly what we need— a strong and practical system. He understands the English framework and knows our young talent."

Josh D, a United fan from North Manchester, added: "I would hope that Inzaghi is the top choice, otherwise Amorim. You could also go for Xavi on a shorter-term basis. Anything other than these three would be a backwards step."

Location: Manchester, UK

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