Manchester United have parted company with Erik ten Hag. It has been a poor season for the Red Devils so far, and they currently find themselves languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table, with just 11 points to their name.
As a result of the Dutchman’s sacking, he has been replaced by club legend, and assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy on an interim basis. The former United striker will take charge of the 13-time Premier League champions as a temporary measure, ‘whilst a permanent head coach is recruited’, as the club explained in a statement.
Ten Hag’s United record
Ten Hag’s reign at Old Trafford comes to an end after just over two seasons in charge at the club. He won two trophies in each of his two full seasons, winning the Carabao Cup in 2022/23, beating Newcastle United, and the FA Cup last term, winning a historic final against Manchester City.
Overall, his record at the Red Devils is not quite what he no doubt would have hoped, despite the trophies he managed to win during his tenure. The former Ajax boss oversaw 128 games at the English giants, winning 72 of those matches.
Stat
Number
Games
128
Wins
72
Draws
20
Losses
36
Goals for
234
Goals against
180
PL points won per game
1.72
Trophies
2
Another concerning stat is the loss rate Ten Hag had during his Old Trafford spell. As per Opta Sport, the Dutchman lost a disappointing 31.8% of games. In the Premier League era, David Moyes is the only manager who has a worse win rate than the Dutchman, with 32.4%. Impressively, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the third-best on the list, with 22%.
Ultimately, things did not work out for the Dutchman in the Old Trafford dugout. That does leave Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his newly-appointed INEOS board with a big decision to make, as they search for a new manager. One of the people who has been linked with the job is Gareth Southgate.
Man United's interest in Southgate
According to a report from Samuel Luckhurst of The Manchester Evening News, former England boss Southgate is one of the options favoured by Ratcliffe as the hunt for a new manager begins. The journalist cites his ‘working relationship’ with Dan Ashworth and ‘friendship’ with Sir Dave Brailsford as the reason he can be considered a contender for the role.
The former Middlesbrough boss is a manager who is known to create a good ethos and working environment for his team. He once explained in an interview that having “empathy with people” is a key part of his coaching. It could be exactly what the Red Devils need at the moment, as they look to salvage the season and turn around their poor form so far.
However, England’s style of football under the 54-year-old was often not the most exciting thing to watch, despite the fact he reached two finals and a semi-final in tournament football. His record with the Three Lions was 64 wins, 20 draws and 18 losses in 102 matches. The historic Euro 2020 tournament will live long in the memory of England fans, despite a heartbreaking loss in the final to Italy.
Emmanuel Petit, a member of France’s 1998 World Cup winning squad, was critical of the Three Lions’ play style in the most recent major tournament, Euro 2024 in Germany. He called it “boring” and blamed the manager for the tactics employed on the pitch.
Indeed, he could end up being another version of Solskjaer at Old Trafford; that is to say, a nearly man, who could not quite get his side over the line in major finals. The Norwegian striker lost four semi-finals and one final, the Europa League in 2021.
Simon Jordan even compared the two on talkSPORT, branding Southgate as a “bland” manager, while calling him “Solskjaer in an international guise”.
This needs to be an appointment INEOS get right. Not only must they appoint a manager who brings success back to Old Trafford, but they need to pick someone who will capture the imagination of the United fans once again, someone who plays exciting and expansive football.
Only time will tell if that person is Southgate, but it is certainly a critical time for the club.
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