Liverpool manager Arne Slot has offered his commiserations to sacked Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and made a prediction for his fellow countryman’s future.
After yet another defeat, though this time a desperately unlucky one to West Ham United on Sunday, Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United boss on Monday morning.
United have started the new season terribly and currently sit 14th in the Premier League table and have yet to win a Europa League fixture.
The club has moved quickly to find a replacement, with a verbal agreement with Sporting manager Ruben Amorim reportedly already agreed. United still need to reach a financial agreement with his club, though.
While United look to move on as fast as possible, Arne Slot has made a prediction on Ten Hag’s future with the Liverpool manager expecting to see his compatriot back in work very soon.
Slot expects Ten Hag to get job at a ‘big club’ before long
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Slot was asked about his thoughts on Ten Hag’s sacking. He said: “He’s a Dutch manager so that makes it even harder for me, for us as Dutch people.
“Always your first thoughts are with the person, we are all in this job so we know that it can happen but if it happens, especially because I know him a little bit and I know how much work he puts into it, then to get this news for him is of course a pity.
“But we also know, especially us coming from Holland, how well he did at Ajax and that he won two trophies over here so we will see him I think in the near future somewhere at a big club again.
“But at this moment it’s for him and his family it’s of course, a tragedy is maybe a bit too much to say but a disappointment.”
What’s next for Erik ten Hag?
It was clear for a long time that Ten Hag’s place in the Old Trafford hot seat was untenable, with the FA Cup triumph merely preventing the inevitable.
There’s an argument to be made that he’s still one of United’s most successful post-Ferguson managers given his trophy return but the football had grown stagnant with no sign of improvements.
Yet, two trophies in two seasons – off the back of a six-and-a-half-year drought – is impressive as well as his success at Ajax.
Perhaps guiding the Amsterdam club to the Champions League semi-finals was the peak of his career but there will be clubs in the future who are willing to bet that it isn’t.
Ajax themselves might even look to bring him back if they don’t win a league title soon and there are bound to be clubs across Europe with a decent pedigree willing to take a chance on him.
United might be reunited with Ten Hag quicker than they expect.
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