According to Football Insider, the Manchester United board has already prepared a contingency plan regarding Erik Ten Hag sack. During the international break, the hierarchy reportedly met in London and prepared for another Manchester United manager to be sacked from the club. Therefore, following the series of underwhelming performances on the pitch, “Erik Ten Hag Sacked” will not come as shock news for the fans.
News has surfaced that Erik Ten Hag is reportedly under increasing pressure, with Manchester United is reportedly set a contingency plan for Erik Ten Hag following the team’s dismal start to the Season. The Dutchman has overseen a disheartening run of form, which has left the club 14th in the Premier League and stuttering in the Europa League, having drawn two games in succession. And with games coming up against Brentford and Fenerbahçe, sources close to the club believe Erik ten Hag Sacking is inevitable if things do not improve on the pitch.
Erik Ten Hag Sacked? The Writing on the Wall
The Dutchman’s tenure – one that began with optimism after his success with Ajax – now appears under threat, as Manchester United are reportedly primed for Erik Ten Hag sacking if results fail to pick up. High-level discussions have occurred behind the scenes at the club, with key men already said to be working on a contingency plan for when, rather than if, he is eventually relieved of his duties. Defeats at Brentford this weekend and to Fenerbahçe in the Europa League could seal his fate and make Erik Ten Hag sacking inevitable, according to club officials.
A United insider said, “Man United chiefs have already drawn up a new manager contingency plan in case they must take the Erik Ten Hag sacking decision soon. The upcoming fixtures could be pivotal.” This has shown just how fragile it is between Ten Hag and the club, seemingly near another managerial change.
A Difficult Start Gears Up Erik Ten Hag Sacking News
Erik Ten Hag’s faltering start to the 2023/24 campaign is not uncharted territory. Last Season, though Manchester United finished lowly eighth in the Premier League, their FA Cup success did bail him out temporarily. That was a short-term reprieve, bolstered by a new contract extension dished out by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, instrumental in United’s revamped recruitment drive. But the summer recruits and fresh tactics have yet to do anything to shake off the same old problems.
Writing about the stagnation of Manchester United‘s start, Football Correspondent James Gorse said, “The writing is on the wall for Erik Ten Hag. Tactics haven’t evolved, and despite fresh faces, the same old problems are surfacing-defensive lapses, a lack of coherence, and fragile midfield.”
That struggle has been more apparent in recent weeks when draws against Aston Villa and Porto were followed by particularly poor defensive displays that only furthered the pressure on Ten Hag. For now, Manchester United sits 14th in the Premier League- a far cry from its Champions League aspirations.
There are many speculations about who Erik ten Hag’s successors will be, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thomas Tuchel, and Graham Potter build up the shortlist of possible candidates. Former United chief scout Mick Brown revealed, “Thomas Tuchel is everybody’s first choice at the moment.” Reports say Tuchel, the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss, could be in the frame for both the Manchester United and England jobs due to his tactical nous and successes at the highest level.
The problems United are having, specifically boardroom fights, inconsistent transfer strategies, and ownership controversies that always seem to go away, only make it even more complicated. Sources close to the club indicate that any new manager would have to meet both on-field challenges as well as these off-field obstacles. As Brown himself added, “They need somebody who can deal with their issues off the field as well.”
But one pivotal question remains: would Tuchel, or indeed any other elite manager, want to walk into what seems like an explosive situation at Old Trafford? While Manchester United is one of the biggest names in world football, the incoming manager’s hurdles are enormous since the team needs a rebuild in the wake of continuous underperformance.
INEOS and the Long-Term Plan Amidst Another Man U Manager Sacked Rumour
While the specter of Erik Ten Hag sacking looms large, it is important to realize that this is far from the first such situation in which Manchester United have found itself. Since the duo of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho took the reins, managerial changes at the club have almost gained a sense of cycling. Each coach comes in with a great raft of expectations, only to see his tenure unravel into his third Season.
A sense of “Groundhog Day” has settled in amongst fans. As Gorse poignantly puts it, “United fans are right back where they’ve been too many times before, after a defeat to one of the big guns, realizing just how far behind they still are.”
INEOS, the new face of Manchester United’s ownership, was supposed to introduce sweeping changes, particularly on the footballing front. However, Ten Hag is one of the last remaining remnants of Glazer-era decisions that so many fans and pundits alike felt should have been axed by the new owners. The patience of the board is wearing thin, but should INEOS look to take a long-term view with Ten Hag? Or is it time to cut ties and begin the search for a “frontman” to lead the next phase of their project?
What Next for Erik Ten Hag?
And if results against Brentford and Fenerbahçe do not go United’s way, the Erik Ten Hag sacking decision could be made official in a fortnight. Yet, whether the club does it now or waits a little longer, many in the football circle are of the view that the writing on the wall is pretty clear – he is gone, sooner or later.
As sources close to the process told Football Insider, United chiefs convened in London last week to weigh up Ten Hag’s future and decided an ongoing slump in performances will leave them “no alternative” but to act. The next games represent a final opportunity for him to arrest the slide, but such is the magnitude of it all that his sacking is already considered a fait accompli.
Gareth Southgate, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Graham Potter have also been mooted as potential candidates for the hot seat at Old Trafford if the club decides to let Erik Ten Hag Sacked. Each has different strengths but faces the mountainous task of not only restoring form to the team but, more importantly, giving an identity task that has beguiled the last several managers at the club.
Erik ten Hag Sack: The Inevitable End?
With the likelihood of getting Erik Ten Hag sacked in the face of such a disastrous start to the Season, reports coming from Manchester United suggest that the team’s continued downward spiral in performances will see him out of the dugout.
United is preparing for the latest managerial reset, with high-profile names such as Thomas Tuchel seemingly in contention, and the club is already putting in place contingency plans. The moot point, however, would be whether a mere change of manager would clear out the rot deeper inside the system or the club once again find itself caught in the rebuild cycle that did not end in progress.
The coming weeks will tell if Erik Ten Hag’s time at Manchester United is indeed over. For now, the Dutchman clings on, but the sands of time may be running out a bit quicker than many may have thought.
