The Erik ten Hag bombshell at Manchester United finally dropped when it was least expected as the Dutchman has been sacked as Man Utd manager.
After a 2-1 defeat at West Ham United left the team 14th in the table and four home games on the horizon, Ineos felt it was the best time to sack Ten Hag as Man Utd manager.
Ruud van Nistelrooy will step up as caretaker manager with the rest of the staff staying on as it is not yet clear who United will go for as a permanent appointment.
Van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge will be against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on October 30th, followed by a marquee game against Chelsea at Old Trafford in the league.
Fans were caught by surprise at this news as it arrived out of nowhere and they were in total agreement about one point.
Man Utd fans on Erik ten Hag sack
The murmurs were all there during the second international break but Ineos kept backing him and the pressure eased off after the win vs Brentford.
Unfortunately, the team reverted to old habits immediately with a draw at Fenerbahce and then the loss at the London Stadium which sealed his fate.
Fans were up in arms at the result as even though the team created plenty of chances, the larger problem was a big one.
Ineos have now acted to save United free-falling season and the fans, while being appreciate of the decision, have made a clear point to the new owners.
They took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and claimed that the sacking should have arrived far sooner but it is nonetheless the correct decision.
One said: “Sad for him. 2 trophies but the results and performances this season were abysmal considering the squad he had.”
Another agreed: “It’s sad but something needed to change quickly” as a third said, “They would’ve dropped to the championship if he would’ve stuck around all season.”
A fourth said: “It would be really worse because our football is an eyesore even when we win. But at the current rate, we were probably going to be doing one win in minimum of 3 games. Eventually, we will be peeping championship.”
A fifth stressed the same point: “A long time coming but good decision. The season should pick up from here!”
Where to now for Man Utd
Van Nistelrooy always was looked at as a “fail safe” at Old Trafford if things went wrong for Erik ten Hag and so it proved.
He will undoubtedly want to audition for the job and a permanent role but if Ineos are truly thinking long-term as they’ve indicated throughout, then they can’t be swayed by a potential new manager bounce.
That’s the problem United ran in when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer impressed as interim and the same can’t be repeated.
The Dutchman was also a part of Ten Hag’s coaching staff and the focus will be on him on how much he can change in a turnaround time of less than two days to the next game.
In the immediate future, they need to win the four home games before the international break and with no clear-cut candidates in the frame, Van Nistelrooy might have a genuine chance to extend his interim streak.
One thing is for sure, as the fans say, this was a decision that had to be made anyway.
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