Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag in the wake of their dismal start to the season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach while a permanent head coach is recruited.
The decision to sack Ten Hag – who was only given a contract extension in July after surviving a summer review and spent over £600m in transfer fees during his tenure – has been described as ‘difficult and finely balanced’ by Manchester United’s hierarchy. Ten Hag’s sacking is set to cost United in the region of £13.5million.
Ten Hag is understood to have been ‘taken aback’ by the timing of his ousting. However, it is understood that the decision by the club’s board, made less than 24 hours after their controversial 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday, was unanimous.
Ten Hag leaves United 14th in the Premier League as his two-and-a-half-year spell comes to an end.
The 54-year-old former Ajax boss had initially been backed by new co-owners INEOS in the summer, sanctioning around £200m in the most recent transfer window, with spending surpassing £616m since his appointment in April 2022.
The support came despite the group initially speaking to a number of other candidates to replace him on the back of an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League, their worst top-flight position since 1990.
He did however, guide Man Utd to a surprise FA Cup final win over rivals Man City before the season’s conclusion.