Manchester United have decided to fire Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Following on from United parting ways with Louis van Gaal despite winning the FA Cup in 2016, it is understood that even beating City at Wembley on Saturday will not save Ten Hag.
Related: Kobbie Mainoo: ‘If I try to go to the corner store, I get a little more attention these days’
The ruthless decision to change managers will be the most significant step taken by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his allies since Ineos agreed to take a minority stake in the club and take control of its football operations last December. United, who appointed Ten Hag two years ago, felt compelled to act after finishing a fraught season eighth in the Premier League, their lowest result since 1990.
The team’s struggles this season have caused confidence in Ten Hag to shrink. United will have one last chance to qualify for Europe when they take on City – a setback against the champions would earn them a place in the Europa League – but the hierarchy do not want to make a decision on the basis of one match.
The challenge for Ten Hag, who has said he has already met with Ratcliffe and the minority owner’s advisers to review the season, will be ensuring his players are not distracted by the noise surrounding his position. At United, the focus will soon shift to finding a replacement for the former Ajax manager. They are considering Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, England’s Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.
The next manager will have to work within the new structure that United are implementing. Ratcliffe’s closest advisors include Sir Dave Brailsford, acting CEO Jean-Claude Blanc and technical director Jason Wilcox. Omar Berrada will take over as CEO, with Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
Tuchel is considered the frontrunner but it is understood United have held exploratory talks with Pochettino. They have also spoken to representatives of McKenna, who is being targeted by Chelsea and Brighton.
Ten Hag has made a controversial figure since the start of the season. There have been questions about the quality of his coaching, his tactics have been criticized and many of his signings have not worked out. Antony, the £86m winger, has been a huge disappointment since joining from Ajax two years ago and Rasmus Højlund, the Danish striker, has had a difficult season.
André Onana, the goalkeeper, has been erratic since joining from Inter last season and Casemiro, the Brazil midfielder, has struggled to keep up with the pace of English football this season. Due to injuries, Mason Mount has hardly featured since joining from Chelsea.
Ten Hag can point to the unavailability of many key players as a key factor in his inability to make his tactics work. Luke Shaw has missed most of the season at left-back and Harry Maguire has also been ruled out of the final. United have been forced to use Casemiro in central defense in recent weeks.
There have been many humiliations this season. United finished bottom of the Champions League group, losing 3-0 at home to Bournemouth and being beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace this month. However, the cup brought some peace. United showed their quality with a 4-3 win over Liverpool in the quarter-finals, although they followed that up by taking a 3-0 lead against Coventry City before beating the Championship team on penalties.
April 21, 2022 Manchester United appoint Erik ten Hag as new manager. The 52-year-old takes over from Ralf Rangnick for three years after impressing while in charge of Ajax.
August 13, 2022 Ten Hag’s tenure starts with a 2-1 home defeat against Brighton and six days later a 4-0 defeat at Brentford. “I asked them [the players] taking responsibility, that’s what they didn’t do,” he says.
November 23, 2022 The Dutchman wins his civil war with Cristiano Ronaldo, with United announcing that the Portuguese have agreed to leave the club.
January 14, 2023 Ten Hag secures his first derby triumph as United manager after a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Old Trafford. The result goes some way to compensating for the 6-3 defeat United suffered at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season.
February 26, 2023 United defeated Newcastle 2-0 at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup. It is the club’s first silverware in six years.
March 5, 2023 The feel-good factor is all but canceled out by a 7-0 thrashing of Liverpool at Anfield. The visitors were particularly bad in the second half, causing Ten Hag to accuse his players of being “unprofessional”.
April 20, 2023 United are defeated 3–0 by Sevilla in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final, leaving the competition 5–2 on aggregate.
June 3, 2023 United’s league form is strong enough to finish third. They also manage to reach the FA Cup final, but suffer heartbreak at Wembley after being beaten 2-1 by Manchester City.
November 1, 2023 United’s early season form has been patchy, with back-to-back 3-0 home defeats to Manchester City in the league and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. “I am a fighter,” Ten Hag emphasizes after the latter.
December 12, 2023 After losing 3-0 again at Old Trafford, this time against Bournemouth, United exit the Champions League at the group stage having won just one of their six matches. If you finish at the bottom, this also means that you will not get into the Europa League and therefore leave Europe altogether.
December 23, 2023 Sir Jim Ratcliffe buys a minority stake in United, with the British billionaire spending just over £1 billion to acquire 25% of the club and gain control of its football operations.
February 18, 2024 United are starting the new year in good form, with teenage midfielder Kobbie Mainoo continuing to impress after being handed his first-team debut from Ten Hag in November. They are going on a run of six wins in seven games.
March 17, 2024 The undisputed highlight of United’s season as they defeated Liverpool 4-3 in an epic FA Cup quarter-final match at Old Trafford.
April 4, 2024 United loses 4-3 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge under extraordinary circumstances. The visitors led 3–2 going into injury time, with Cole Palmer scoring his second and third goals of the match, the latter coming after 100 minutes and 39 seconds, making him the last winner in Premier League history became. “That is unacceptable,” Ten Hag admits.
April 21, 2024 United defeated Coventry to reach a second successive FA Cup final, but it is perhaps the low point of Ten Hag’s tenure as his side conceded a 3-0 lead to Championship opponents and ultimately needed a penalty shootout to win .
April 23, 2024 Ten Hag hits back at his critics in the media, labeling them “disgraceful” and “embarrassing” for their reaction to the narrow victory over Coventry. “Top football is all about results,” he emphasizes.
May 6, 2024 United’s season hit a new low after being beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. “It’s bright and clear. This is underperforming,” Ten Hag acknowledges.
May 24, 2024 United have decided to sack Ten Hag regardless of how the FA Cup final goes.
Ten Hag has repeatedly fought for his corner, even claiming United were one of the most exciting teams in the league this season. He won the Carabao Cup and finished third last season. It seemed he was on the right track, even though his debut season also included a 7-0 defeat at Liverpool.
The task of reviving United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 has been beyond any of the Scot’s successors. Ten Hag, who came in as interim after Ralf Rangnick’s period, pointed out the lean times on Thursday. “So in the last 10 years there have not been that many trophies won at this club, but we have the opportunity to win two trophies in two years,” he said.
Ten Hag was asked whether he had planned meetings with the hierarchy. “No, we have already done that and I am going on holiday on Sunday,” he said. “I think I deserve it.”
United will conduct a final assessment before making an announcement on Ten Hag’s future. Their debriefing will likely focus on the chaotic nature of their performances this season. United had a habit of squandering leads and conceding late goals, and tended to allow opponents an astonishing number of shots. Ten Hag also clashed with Jadon Sancho, who will play in the Champions League final next Saturday after joining Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Bruno Fernandes said on Friday he wanted to stay at United provided the club’s ambitions matched his. “I love a step at Old Trafford more than anything in the world,” the captain wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “I don’t want to leave. This has always been my ultimate dream. I just want my expectations to match the club’s expectations. If you go talk to a fan, they’ll tell you the same thing.
“We want to compete for the Premier League. We want to play Champions League football. We want to be in the cup final. That’s the standard. That is what I want. That is what you all deserve.”