One defeat too many for Erik ten Hag. By losing, on a disputed penalty whistled at the end of the match after contact between Ings and De Ligt, Manchester United caused the fall of their Dutch coach. According to information from The Athleticthe Mancunian leaders decided to signal the end of recess and informed the Dutch coach this Monday morning that his adventure was coming to an end. Ten Hag, however, hoped to still have the chance to redress the situation, during the next two home matches against Leicester then Chelsea.
But its management decided otherwise. Already, during the last international break, she met to consider a possible dismissal of Ten Hag, when the situation was alarming. This time, MU’s 14th place in the standings, despite massive new investments this summer, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Ten Hag therefore leaves the Red Devils after 2 and a half seasons, with two Cups in his suitcases, the Carabao Cup then the FA Cup.
Van Nistelrooy on the bench
Manchester United confirmed the information a few minutes later. “Erik ten Hag has left his post as coach of the Manchester United men’s first team. Erik was appointed in April 2022 and has 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 him wish you good luck for the future. Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, while a permanent head coach is recruited.
The poor results on the national scene last season had already weakened the coach, as had the team’s lack of progress. Despite the various additions, despite Ten Hag’s always optimistic speech, the supporters too rarely had the opportunity to get excited when seeing their team play. The departure of Ten Hag was even ardently desired by a large part of the fans. It is therefore Ruud van Nistelrooy, another Dutchman, who will take over from Ten Hag. Arriving this summer as an assistant, the former MU scorer will have the opportunity to show his coaching talents, he who coached PSV Eindhoven during the 2022-2023 season, before the arrival of Peter Bosz. The rest of the staff should not move for the moment.
