Former Manchester United managers have endured a nightmare start to the 2025-26 campaign, with three high-profile sackings in the space of a week.
Erik ten Hag has now joined Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the managerial scrapheap, all dismissed by their respective clubs in the past few days.
Solskjaer was relieved of his duties at Turkish club Besiktas on Thursday after his side lost to Swiss side Lausanne in the Conference League play-offs.
The loss ended the Turkish side’s hopes of playing European football this season, prompting the board to act swiftly.
The Norwegian took charge of the Istanbul club in January, marking his first managerial position since leaving Manchester United in November 2021.
Solskjaer led Besiktas to a fourth-place finish in the Turkish Super Lig during the 2024-25 season.
Fenerbahce dispensed with Mourinho after the Turkish club were eliminated from the Champions League play-offs by Benfica.
The 62-year-old guided Fenerbahce to second in the league during his sole season in charge but he failed to win any trophies and was also involved in several controversies.
He could be in line for a return to the Premier League after expressing his desire to manage a team at the bottom of the English top flight.
Erik ten Hag has now followed in the footsteps of Solskjaer and Mourinho.
The Dutchman signed a two-year contract upon replacing Xabi Alonso at Bayern Leverkusen but lasted only three games.
The Leverkusen management took the decision on Monday morning after a poor start to the new campaign.
Ten Hag helped his side to a 4-0 win over fourth-tier side Sonnenhof Grossaspach in the DFB Pokal, but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Hoffenheim in the opening Bundesliga game of the season.
His side sensationally let slip a 3-1 lead against Werder Bremen to draw 3-3 yesterday.
Disharmony between the players was clear on the pitch as Leverkusen players’ Exequiel Palacios and Patrick Schick argued over who would take a second-half penalty.
Replacing Alonso was never going to be an easy task**,** but the German club made it even tougher by selling key players such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky, and Amine Adli this summer.
Three former United head coaches losing their jobs in the same week is remarkable, yet it also underlines why the Premier League giants ultimately decided to cut ties with each of them.