Manchester United have finally pulled the trigger and terminated the contract of Erik ten Hag after a turbulent 28 months in charge. United’s defeat to West Ham at the weekend was the final straw following a stuttering start to the season.

Erik ten Hag led United in 128 matches, winning 70, drawing 23, and losing 35. That gives him a win percentage of 54.7%. A list of selected other managers has been included below for comparison:

1. Sir Alex Ferguson – 59.7

2. Jose Mourinho – 58.3%

3. Erik ten Hag – 54.7%

4. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – 54.2%

5. David Moyes – 52.9%

6. Louis van Gaal – 52.4%

As demonstrated above, ten Hag’s record was better than that of his immediate predecessor, so why have the United leadership decided now that enough is enough?

Firstly, Ineos themselves are under pressure. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford have had success in other sports. Their cycling team – steered by a group of young British riders – became world leading in a short space of time. Their Ineos Brittania sailing venture – buoyed by a British team featuring Sir Ben Ainslie - made the final of the America’s Cup. But football is a different beast. ‘Marginal gains’ have been sought for decades meaning that competitors are at a vastly different stage in their maturity. Let’s not beat around the bush. The competition is harder in football. Success is harder in football. Deep pockets alone are insufficient.

Secondly, ten Hag failed to get the Old Trafford faithful behind him. One assumes this is due to the dour style of play. A far cry from the total football of his Dutch predecessors, United’s rigidity and lack of movement was painful to watch at times. Experienced campaigners Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are wily and their achievements speak for themselves, but the days of them striking fear into an opponent are long gone. This goes some way to explaining why Erik ten Hag has suffered more at the hands of the fans than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite their comparable records, although being a club legend is far from unhelpful. Perhaps a better comparison is Jose Mourinho, who was axed despite a record close to that of the legendary Ferguson’s. Mourinho’s pragmatism was seen as undesirable. United fans demand free-flowing, attractive football.

Finally, ten Hag must take responsibility for some incredibly poor work in the transfer market. The headliner in this regard is Antony, signed in the summer of 2022 from ten Hag’s former club Ajax for a staggering £81m. He has made just 56 appearances in that time, scoring 5 goals and offering little of the pace, creativity and vision which became a trademark of United’s wingers in bygone eras. The former manager may argue that he has been unfortunate due to the availability problems suffered by recent recruits Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte but ultimately, he has paid the price for historical failures.

Erik ten Hag’s successor will have a lot of work to do. They will inherit a squad of slow, ageing, injury prone players who are used to playing a style of football that is not suited to the modern Premier League game. Expectations at Old Trafford remain high among all stakeholders. The pressure will be enormous from day one. But the conditions for success remain present. United remain a hugely successful club off the field with staggering commercial revenues meaning that they can offer the wages necessary to attract top talent. Their reputation as a historically significant club remains just about intact which is undoubtedly a lure for prospective players and managers alike. Who will be afforded that opportunity?

Today’s news was hardly surprising. Tomorrow’s just might be.

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By Leon Parrott