Man United fires manager Erik ten Hag after troubled start to the season

Manchester United has fired Erik 10 Hag aft a troubled commencement to nan play near nan 20-time English champions successful 14th spot successful nan Premier League

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United fired Erik 10 Hag connected Monday aft a troubled commencement to nan play near nan 20-time English champions successful 14th spot successful nan Premier League and nan club’s caller activity unimpressed pinch nan gait of alteration nether nan Dutchman.

Ten Hag, who was hired successful 2022, paid nan value for starring United to conscionable 3 wins successful 9 convention games successful nan opening months of nan campaign. There person been 4 defeats, nan 2-1 nonaccomplishment astatine West Ham connected Sunday being his past crippled successful charge.

United vanished successful eighth spot past season, its lowest successful nan Premier League era, and appears to person small dream of challenging for nan title this campaign. It already leaves nan storied squad successful threat of missing retired connected qualification for nan lucrative Champions League erstwhile again.

“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his clip pinch america and wish him good for nan future,” said United, which added that Ruud van Nistelrooy, 1 of Ten Hag's assistants, would beryllium taking complete arsenic interim caput coach while a imperishable caput coach is recruited.

Ten Hag joined from Ajax and was tasked pinch nan work of bringing nan bully times backmost to a nine that has been successful diminution since erstwhile head Alex Ferguson retired successful 2013. Despite winning nan League Cup and nan FA Cup successful Ten Hag’s first seasons astatine Old Trafford, United was showing nary motion of improving connected its worst convention run successful 34 years.

Ten Hag only held onto his job pursuing an unexpected triumph complete fierce rival Manchester City successful nan FA Cup last successful May and an extended end-of-year reappraisal by United. He was past handed a one-year extension to his statement to 2026.

His departure comes amid a play of awesome alteration astatine United nether caller number proprietor Jim Ratcliffe.

The British billionaire has taken complete power of United’s shot operations, pinch a caller CEO, sporting head and method head each installed successful caller months.

Ten Hag was United’s 5th imperishable head since Ferguson’s departure, pursuing David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United's adjacent crippled is astatine location to Leicester successful nan English League Cup connected Wednesday.

___

James Robson is astatine https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer