Following the team’s dismal start to the season, Manchester United confirmed on Monday that they had fired manager Erik ten Hag.

After losing to West Ham on Sunday for the fourth time in nine league games, United fell to a pitiful 14th place in the standings. They have only won one of their past eight games across all competitions.

According to a club release, “Erik ten Hag has resigned from his position as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.”

After being hired in April 2022, Erik guided the team to two domestic championships: the FA Cup in 2024 and the Carabao Cup in 2023.

We wish Erik the best of luck in his future and are appreciative of everything he has done while working with us.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, a former striker who rejoined United in July as Ten Hag’s assistant, was named temporary manager “while a permanent head coach is recruited.”

Dutch manager Ten Hag had already overseen United’s worst start to an English top-flight season since the 1989–1990 campaign prior to the defeat to West Ham.

After United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe retained the former Ajax manager after an internal evaluation of his role at the end of the previous season following an eighth-place Premier League finish, the 54-year-old’s job has been under constant scrutiny.

Ten Hag’s unexpected triumph over rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May even earned him a one-year contract extension until June 2026.

But he was unable to resolve a lot of his team’s problems from the previous campaign.

After winning two titles in his two full seasons as manager of Ajax, Ten Hag, who joined United in May 2022, had just vehemently defended his record.

In the 2023 League Cup final, United defeated Newcastle to snap a six-year trophy drought.

In Ten Hag’s promising first season, the Red Devils also advanced to the FA Cup final and placed third in the Premier League.

But in his second season, Ten Hag’s failure to establish a defined style of play, injuries to important players, and the lack of effect from expensive recruits caused a number of unpleasant outcomes.

After losing to Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen in the Champions League group stage, United was eliminated, although other teams that won at Old Trafford during the 2023–2024 season were Bournemouth, Brighton, and Fulham.

With the hiring of a new chief executive, sports director, and technical director, United’s new sporting structure—led by co-owner Ratcliffe—saw significant off-field change in recent months.

However, Ten Hag was given a stay of execution after his unexpected triumph over Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City team at Wembley in the FA Cup final.

Any optimism that United’s FA Cup victory would serve as a springboard for more consistent success was swiftly dashed in the first few weeks of the new campaign.

In September, United lost both of their first two Europa League games against FC Twente and Porto, while Liverpool and Tottenham easily won 3-0 at Old Trafford.

Despite all of Ten Hag’s shortcomings, he only managed a minor portion of United’s overall slide following the retirement of renowned previous manager Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Five permanent managers have been fired since the Scot left the Old Trafford hot seat, and United hasn’t even challenged for the Premier League championship, which they won 13 times under Ferguson.