Manchester United has confirmed the sacking of Erik ten Hag following their 2-1 injury-time defeat to West Ham United .
Ten Hag was sacked by United on Monday morning , with the club naming Ruud van Nistelrooy as his replacement in the interim. A Jarrod Bowen penalty, controversially awarded after being reviewed by VAR, saw Man United fall to the Hammers on Sunday, in a game which saw full-back Diogo Dalot produce arguably the miss of the season to give Ten Hag's side the lead at 0-0 in the first half.
The Dutchman, who was brought in during the summer to be a part of Ten Hag's backroom staff, played for United under Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring 150 goals in 219 appearance. And Van Nistelrooy's first game in charge will see United travel to the King Power Stadium to face off against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
However, the news of Ten Hag's sacking could be bad news for Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League, simply because United now has the opportunity to clean house, and appoint a manager who can turnaround its fortunes. Last season, the club publicly briefed Ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the outcome of the FA Cup final, which United won 2-1 against Manchester City.
But instead of sacking him, United decided to not only keep Ten Hag, they extended his contract after having guided them to an eighth place finish in the Premier League, 31 points behind title winners City. This term, following their defeat to West Ham after spending millions in the summer on the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui, they currently sit 14th.
Right now, in its current state, United looks lost. But one right managerial appointment can change everything. While Arne Slot was not coming into a bad situation at Anfield, or replacing a coach who was sacked in Jurgen Klopp, he was handed a tricky situation which he has started life on Merseyside in magnificent fashion, with Liverpool having only lost once this term in all competitions.
Arsenal, who drew 2-2 with the Reds on Sunday, endured a few years of shakiness under Mikel Arteta, but now look to be all the better for sticking by the Spaniard, who has turned them into true Premier League title contenders. Aston Villa's appointment of Unai Emery, another Spaniard, has transformed their entire club from sitting three points above the relegation zone in 2022 to beating Bayern Munich at Villa Park in the Champions League just two years later.
Chelsea, which went through a chaotic summer, looks to have appointed the right man to take them forward in Enzo Maresca, who has the Blues sitting fifth through nine games. And Brighton, who sit sixth, appointed a 31-year-old in Fabien Hurzeler to replace Roberto de Zerbi this summer.
Slot, Arteta, Emery, Maresca and Hurzeler are all examples of clubs getting a managerial appointment right - something which United will have the opportunity to do now. If they get the appointment of the next manager right, it will be unwelcome news on Merseyside and the rest of the Premier League.
It is unclear just whom will replace Ten Hag permanently, especially with Van Nistelrooy now set to take over in the interim, and with United having sacked the Dutchman just nine games into the new Premier League season. Right now, the favorites to take over from the outgoing United boss are Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim, ex-Barcelona boss Xavi, former England manager Gareth Southgate, Brentford's Thomas Frank, and Graham Potter, who has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea.
Liverpool.com says: "Quite frankly it was ridiculous Ten Hag was given a contract extension this past summer. Every other Premier League side cheered the news when it was announced, which should have been a massive red flag for Ratcliffe and INEOS. During his first season in charge, there were signs Ten Hag was the right man to lead United forward. However, last term, the wheels came off. And with him gone, the pressure is on the United board to get the next appointment right - with the rest of the Premier League waiting with bated breath to see if they hire some competent."
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