Manchester United Parts Ways With Erik Ten Hag, Pressure to Find Successor

Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, looks on during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at London Stadium in London on Oct. 27, 2024. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

The Erik ten Hag era is over at Manchester United and now the storied club is looking for another manager to help recapture its former glory.

Hag was hired by Manchester United from Dutch power Ajax in 2022 to much fanfare, but the luster faded over time.

While Ten Hag had some success, winning two domestic trophies—the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024—Manchester United is having its worst start to a season, mired in 14th place in the English Premier League.

Manchester United has lost four of its first nine EPL matches.

“Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager,” the club said in a statement. “We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future. Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”

Ten Hag had been under pressure to get the club back atop the EPL standings and faced criticism from former Manchester United stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who said the club needed a complete overhaul to win championships.

Former Manchester United midfielder and current owner of Inter Miami David Beckham expressed confidence that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will provide the resources to sign high-caliber players and challenge elite clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea. However, Beckham also said he understood the fans’ frustration with the performance of the club.

The firing of Ten Hag is the most significant move under Ratcliffe, who now faces his own pressure to hire a manager who can turn the season around.

However, Ten Hag joins a long list of managers, including David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who could not lead Manchester United to the same success. The coaches failed to live up to the lofty expectations set by Sir Alex Ferguson, who won a record 13 Premier League titles over his 27 years as Manchester United’s manager.

One name that has surfaced among the English pundits to succeed Ten Hag is Ruben Amorim, the coach of Portuguese power Sporting CP.

Amorim is a decorated coach who won Primeira Liga titles in 2021. He also has a strong rapport with the players and employs an aggressive attacking style of soccer, an area where Ten Hag struggled at United.

Another manager linked to Manchester United is Brentford’s Thomas Frank, who has reportedly declined interest in the job.

Another high-profile coach who has been mentioned as a potential successor to Ten Hag is Gareth Southgate, who recently stepped down as the head coach of the English National Team.