Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United reacts as Manchester United assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy looks on during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at London Stadium on October 27, 2024 in London, England.Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United reacts as Manchester United assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy looks on during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at London Stadium on October 27, 2024 in London, England.
Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United reacts as Manchester United assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy looks on during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at London Stadium on October 27, 2024 in London, England. | Getty Images
A Manchester United star has been discussing Erik ten Hag’s sacking and has given his verdict on Ruben Amorim
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has hinted he was surprised by Erik ten Hag’s sacking at the club as he believes the Dutchman was “doing something good”. However, the Denmark international was quick to caveat that claim with praise for his current manager Ruben Amorim.
Ten Hag won the FA Cup for United last season as they beat rivals Manchester City at Wembley. That victory saw Ten Hag remain at the club over the summer but was sacked after a 2-1 loss at West Ham United at the end of October. United had their worst-ever Premier League finish in 2023-24 and endured a miserable start to the 2024-25 campaign.
Amorim was identified and appointed as Ten Hag’s successor, although he initially wanted to remain at Sporting CP until the end of the season but was told the opportunity to join United would not be available.
Hojlund on Ten Hag sacking and Amorim appointment
“I’m focused on the task with Ruben, because that project is incredibly exciting, but Erik was of course one of the reasons why I moved to Manchester United,” Hojlund said via Danish newspaper Tipsbladet.
“He was doing something good and was a talented coach, but it didn’t work out, and that’s how it is. I’m still very happy to be at Manchester United. It’s the club I’ve always dreamed of playing for. And I’m really happy for Ruben – he’s a cool character and a cool person."
Ten Hag signed Hojlund back in the summer of 2023. The player has had a tough time in front of goal of late but ended his drought before the international break with the opener against Leicester City. Still only 22, Hojlund does have some pressure on his shoulders after arriving for £72m. He has also revealed on international duty that club legend Peter Schmeichel has helped him through some of his tougher times.
Ten Hag sacking was fair but it should have been done earlier
While Hojlund admitted a bit of surprise over the decision to sack Ten Hag, the writing was on the wall for the former Ajax man for weeks leading up to the decision. While he won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his two seasons with the club, the Red Devils’ Premier League form was cause for concern.
Ten Hag also had a poor record in Europe as United were knocked out of the Champions League group stage in 2023-24 while this season Ten Hag did not win of his three games in the Europa League while in charge of the club.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe admits keeping Ten Hag was a mistake, as he gave a series of wide-ranging interviews earlier this month. He said: "It was too early for us to make a big decision in reality. It was quite difficult to extract Erik's performance from the structure around him. Was the erratic performance a function of Erik, or was it a function of the organisation? And we couldn't really get to the bottom of answering that question with certainty, I suppose, so we gave Erik the benefit of the doubt."