Man Utd confirm Erik ten Hag has been sacked with incredibly blunt statement

Manchester United have issued a statement to confirm the departure of Erik ten Hag after he was informed of the decision on Monday morning.

Ten Hag, who was appointed Manchester United manager in 2022 as the permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, took charge of his final game on Sunday as United suffered a 2-1 defeat to West Ham.

The Reds currently sit 14th in the Premier League after a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign that has featured just three wins from a possible nine in the league.

And just days after they recorded their third consecutive draw in the Europa League, United have moved to sack Ten Hag from his position as first-team manager.

In a post on their official website, they wrote: "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."

The statement added: "We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future."

United also confirmed that former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach. He will supported by the current coaching team whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.

Earlier this month, it emerged that the 48-year-old Dutchman, who returned to Old Trafford in the summer as an assistant coach, would be offered the manager's job on an interim basis if Ten Hag is dismissed.

So what should United fans expect from Van Nistelrooy? We know the former Real Madrid striker succeeded Roger Schmidt as manager of PSV in 2022 following a short stint at Jong PSV.

Here, he fell short of the Eredivisie title as the Dutch club finished seven points behind Feyenoord, but they did lift two trophies, including the Dutch Cup, where they limited Ajax to zero shots on target across 120 minutes.

Image credit: Getty

To the surprise of many, Van Nistelrooy stepped down as PSV manager before their final game of the season as he felt a “lack of support" within the club.

He later admitted that it would have been “impossible” for him to continue due to his relationship with the club’s hierarchy but during this short spell, we learned a great deal about his philosophy and man-management style.

As a result of working under some of the all-time greats, the Dutchman has adopted some key principles from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, including using wide areas to stretch the opposition.

Like many modern day managers, he also encouraged an aggressive press to regain possession during his spell at PSV, as well as zonal marking to force turnovers.