Erik Ten Hag Sacked As Manager Of Manchester United
Breaking news out of Manchester this morning as Erik Ten Hag has been sacked by Manchester United. Is anybody surprised that this was the outcome of that relationship? Since the Liverpool loss at the beginning of September it was pretty much a matter of "when" and not "if" Ten Hag was gonna be getting the sack this season.
This right here is exactly what's separating United from the other elite of England and the rest of Europe right now. The second it was announced that United was going to be conducting a search after the FA Cup final that should have been the end of the relationship. It never felt right bringing him back after that. If you're still considering sacking a manager even after they beat a Manchester City team that could likely be called the best team in the world, you should probably just sack him because he's never going to do better than that.
Chelsea didn't do that. Barcelona didn't do that. Bayern Munich didn't do that. All of those teams are now far better off with new managers that they got in over the summer instead of waiting to see with managers that they knew weren't going to work.
This can be said about every hiring and sacking, but this feels like one that United really can't get wrong. This is the fifth full time manager that's been sacked since Sir Alex and it will be the first hire done with INEOS on board with an ownership stake instead of the Glazers controlling the club on their own.
They came in saying they were going to transform the sporting side of the club, so this is their time to do it. Whether they keep Ruud Van Nistelroy on as manager after his interim stake or hire a manager from outside the club, they have to get it right. It can't be the Glazers all over again.
Thank you to Ten Hag, he provided some great moments. League Cup win, FA Cup win, beating Barcelona over two legs in the Europa league, but it was time. It would have been better for everyone if he was sacked after the FA Cup win.