Manchester United have officially parted ways with Erik ten Hag to salvage a season that was quickly going nowhere with defeats and dropped points.
Manchester United confirmed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim charge while they work on appointing a permanent manager.
United’s stance on paying compensation means their field for potential replacements won’t be as straightforward as first expected.
In the meantime, reactions are flowing in to the news of which the timing was shocking, but the nature wasn’t.
Raphael Varane and Patrice Evra have reacted, and Varane’s reaction, in particular, is damning.
Raphael Varane and Patrice Evra react to Erik ten Hag sack
Erik ten Hag probably held on to his job as Man Utd manager for far longer than the results warranted and it was largely down the players not downing tools.
The dressing room mutiny was the cause of the downfall of his predecessors but even until the West Ham game, it was clear that players gave it their all.
Of course, their quality sometimes was missing but there were no reports of infighting or unprofessional behaviour.
Ineos had fully backed Ten Hag to get rid of the probably ‘anti-social’ elements from the dressing room like Cristiano Ronaldo or Jadon Sancho.
Varane left last summer and his was a case where intermittent reports emerged of tensions with Ten Hag and his reaction to the sacking probably confirms it all.
At the time of writing, Raphael Varane is the only player, current or former to have played under Ten Hag, to ‘like’ the post announcing his sacking.
In addition, Patrice Evra was his usual humourous self as he directed a cheeky jab at VAR for their shenanigans vs West Ham by saying, “Let wait for the V.A.R guys…”
Damning verdict on Ten Hag
Of course, it is impossible for any manager to remain in the good books of every player all the time. That’s just the nature of the job.
Now that he has been relieved of his duties, it is likely that former players will be more open about their relationship with him.
Varane was always thought of as one who had a rocky relationship with the Dutchman, getting dropped last season at various points despite being fit.
He ultimately ended it on a high, winning the FA Cup and playing a starring role in the final alongside Lisandro Martinez but the writing was on the wall for him.
Granted, United’s decision to release him paid off too, as he retired from the game after another injury-hit spell at Como but players know what they’re doing and use social media to send messages all the time.
Varane has just sent his on Ten Hag’s sacking.
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