Erik ten Hag hides from cameras as he’s pictured for first time since Man Utd sacking leaving home in back of car
ERIK TEN HAG has been spotted for the first time since his dramatic Manchester United axing.
The Dutchman was dismissed as Red Devils manager on Monday morning.
ZenpixErik Ten Hag has been spotted leaving his home following his Man Utd sacking[/caption]
ReutersThe Dutchman was sacked following a dismal run of results[/caption]
AlamyRuud Van Nistelrooy has take over as interim boss at Old Trafford[/caption]
Ten Hag was seen getting into the back of his car as he left his Cheshire home just hours after his sacking.
The 54-year-old bowed his head and hid from the cameras as he prepared to travel back to the Netherlands.
Man Utd released a blunt 87-word statement as the 54-year-old was relieved of his duties.
It read: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
“Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.”
Ten Hag’s assistant Ruud Van Nistelrooy will now take temporary charge at the Theatre of Dreams.
United star Bruno Fernandes has become the first player to pay tribute to Ten Hag.
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The Portuguese playmaker wrote on Instagram: “Thanks for everything boss!
“I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best in the future.
“Even knowing the last period hasn’t been great from all of us, I hope you fans can keep with you the good things the manager has done for our club!”
Ten Hag was sacked with United 14th in the Premier League and £300MILLION out of pocket.
He was handed a one-year contract extension over the summer after an unexpected triumph in the FA Cup.
SunSport understands the United boardroom was keen to give the Dutchman a chance to work under the new structure put in place by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
However, they were left disappointed by both the results and the performances on the pitch this season.
Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport’s DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag’s time at Man Utd is up… and explains what’s wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would also have been a popular and gettable option – but England got in there first.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
In his two seasons with the club, Ten Hag signed 21 players at a cost of over £545m.
He won 70 of his 128 games in change, at a win ratio of just under 55 per cent.
The Dutchman’s final game was a 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.
