THE MIRROR
Erik ten Hag’s last act as Manchester United boss was to prepare for a game that he will not have chance to oversee.
The Dutchman was dismissed by the Red Devils on Monday following the late defeat to West Ham at the weekend. He leaves the club after two-and-a-half years and departs with the side sitting 14th in the Premier League.
A statement on Monday announced his exit. 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. Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”
And it appears that Ten Hag’s final act as Red Devils’ boss has rubbed salt into his wounds. Following the defeat against West Ham, the Dutchman conducted his pre-match press conference for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Leicester at Old Trafford.
Of course, Ten Hag will no longer be in the dugout, with his former assistant Van Nistelrooy instead taking the reins for that game. It remains to be seen whether he picks a different team to his predecessor.
But fellow former Red Devils star Gary Neville is not expecting wholesale changes from Van Nistelrooy for the upcoming game. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “What’s he going to be able to do? He can set the team up differently, I mean that’s something that could happen, he could make the make-up of the team slightly different.
“But he’s been on the bench with Erik ten Hag so I’d be amazed if there something drastic happened in the next few days in the games that he’s got to manage. I think that ultimately there needs to be quite a lot of work done with those players because at this moment in time they are desperately struggling.
