Erik ten Hag sacked LIVE: Manchester United line up next manager with Ruud van Nistelrooy named interim boss

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of Manchester United on an interim basis after Erik ten Hag was sacked with the club 14th in the Premier League table.

The former United striker has been installed as head coach and will be supported by the current coaching team at Old Trafford whilst a permanent appointment is made.

Van Nistelrooy returned to Manchester United in the summer as Ten Hag’s coaching staff was overhauled, with Rene Hake and Andreas Georgson also recruited.

Low - Man United 0-3 Tottenham, September 2024

Ten Hag’s side, who had lost to rivals Liverpool 3-0 in their previous league outing at Old Trafford, were swept aside by Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs.

Defender Micky van de Ven was allowed to run through United’s half almost unopposed before his cross found an unmarked Brennan Johnson to give Spurs a third-minute lead. Captain Bruno Fernandes then saw red before half-time and Spurs could have scored more than the two second-half goals they managed.

High - Man United 2-1 Man City, May 2024

United produced their finest performance under Ten Hag as the Dutch boss got his tactics spot on to come out on top in his FA Cup final battle with Pep Guardiola.

A fantastic first-half display was capped by goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo and Ten Hag’s men stood firm in the second to condemn the champions to a shock defeat.

Low - Crystal Palace 4-0 Man United, May 2024

United had all but seen their hopes of sneaking into Europe slip away by the time they travelled to Selhurst Park for their penultimate away game of the season.

What followed was a chaotic performance in which they were ripped to shreds by a Palace side who looked sharper, fitter and more organised, leaving Ten Hag’s position looking more precarious than ever.

High - Man United 4-1 Chelsea, May 2023

Chelsea were swept aside at Old Trafford in the final home game of the season, a win that ensured the team would be playing in Europe’s top club competition after a year away.

Low - Liverpool 7-0 Man United, March 2023

United were 10 points clear of their northwest rivals and had already beaten them at home earlier in the campaign, but the manner of their capitulation at Anfield left the manager facing the ignominy of having overseen the club’s heaviest ever defeat to Liverpool.

High - Man United 2-1 Barcelona, February 2023

Barca were on track to be crowned LaLiga champions, despite having dropped out of the Champions League into the Europa League, but United rolled back the years to some of their greatest European nights with a win that saw them go through 4-3 on aggregate.

Low - Man City 6-3 Man United, October 2022

The team had recovered from losing Ten Hag’s first two league fixtures to record four consecutive wins, but illusions of a smooth upward trajectory were shattered at the Etihad Stadium as City demonstrated their clear superiority to put six past their rivals for just the second time in the Premier League era.

High - Man United 2-0 Newcastle, February 2023

Victory in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley handed Ten Hag a major domestic trophy after just eight months in the job and, with the team looking on course to return to the Champions League, the manager’s rebuild looked to be well on track.

Low - Brentford 4-0 Man United, August 2022

United had already lost their first league game of Ten Hag’s tenure against Brighton at Old Trafford, but the true size of his task was laid bare a week later in west London as Brentford hit four goals inside the opening 35 minutes to leave the visitors bottom of the league.

Sources have said that Erik ten Hag’s sacking was a difficult and finely balanced decision, but a collective and unanimous by the hierarchy.

They had wanted to give Ten Hag the opportunity to work within a new sporting structure, but the results and performances at the start of the season have not been good enough.

United felt they were not seeing the momentum and progress to believe they were improving and developing. The Red Devils have also had a poor start in the Europa League having failed to win their first three games from winning positions.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has posted on Instagram after Erik ten Hag’s sacking.

He wrote: “Thanks for everything boss! I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best in the future.

“Even knowing the last period hasn’t been great from all of us I hope you fans can keep with you the good things the manager has done for our club!”

Manchester United are looking for a new manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked following a poor start to the season.

United are 14th in the Premier League after nine games, and lie 21st in the Europa League table have failed to win any of their opening three fixtures.

The defeat by West Ham United on the weekend was ironically one of the team’s better performances under Ten Hag this season, but it proved to be the final straw for the Ineos ownership as a string of missed chances resulted in a 2-1 loss.

But who will replace the Dutchman? Here are the latest odds for Man Utd’s next manager:

Ruud van Nistelrooy 7/2

Ruben Amorim 5/1

Gareth Southgate 10/1

Xavi 10/1

Thomas Frank 10/1

Michael Carrick 12/1

Kieran McKenna 14/1

Graham Potter 16/1

Melissa Reddy has reported on Sky Sports News that Manchester United have five contenders on the shortlist to replace Erik ten Hag.

Who they might be is unclear as of yet but there are plenty of rumours including Gareth Southgate and Zinedine Zidane. One of the reasons that Ten Hag has been dismissed was his ‘inability to improve the players he signed’.