It's over: Manchester United need to pull the plug on Erik ten Hag before it gets even uglier

It's been a year since Manchester United's last win in European competition. It's been the worst start to the Red Devils' Premier League campaign in history. To put it bluntly, it's been unacceptable. Erik ten Hag has received support from fans throughout his tenure at Old Trafford, and the Dutchman has been heralded for trying to bring back the club's glory days.

Ten Hag is right when he constantly points out that he's won two trophies in as many years. He's brought the feeling of cup success back to United.

However, most fans would likely take the progression of Arsenal or Liverpool in trying to challenge Manchester City over the dismal performances and lack of consistency. INEOS, the time has come to part ways with the Dutch coach, not just for the club's sake but his own career.

Is Erik ten Hag out of his depth at Manchester United?

Manchester United sit 12th in the Premier League after eight games, with three wins and as many defeats. Ten Hag's side beat Brentford 2-1 last weekend to get back to winning ways. That's becoming a theme at Old Trafford, returning to winning ways, because the Reds suffer a setback one week after another.

The latest setback came against Fenerbahce on Thursday (October 24) night as United were held to a 1-1 draw in Istanbul against Jose Mourinho's Turkish giants. Christian Eriksen gave the visitors the lead only for poor defending to allow Youssef En-Nesyri to head home an equaliser.

The result leaves the Red Devils 21st in the Europa League table after three games. To put that into perspective, 36 teams are competing in the competition, and the club sits four places above the non-play-off places. They are surrounded by teams such as Eflsborg, Ferencvarosi TC and Viktoria Plzen.

Ten Hag's reaction to United's third consecutive European draw this season was astounding. He said (via Fabrizio Romano):

"Two points away vs Fenerbahçe and Porto, it’s a result. But of course we want to win these games. We want to win every game."


It's a result that any other manager would accept isn't good enough for a club of United's standards. Ten Hag started his reign with the air of a winner, a coach who won't accept anything less than victory, and he's lost the aura that preceded him at Ajax. His stock was sky-high at the Johan Cruyff Arena, guiding the Eredivisie giants to the 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-finals with wins over Juventus and Real Madrid.

Why was Ten Hag appointed?

Manchester United appointed Ten Hag on the basis of that Ajax reign with fans excited to see him implement the Ajax brand of football at Old Trafford. He's refused to do so, even acknowledging this in an interview last season (via Dutch outlet AD):

"I cannot play the same way here. That is also not in the DNA of Manchester United. The football at Ajax is very characteristic, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, certainly in the front."

What is this DNA that everybody speaks of? Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and his philosophy of exciting attacking football with an emphasis on wing play hasn't been taken on successfully by any of the club's head coaches in the post-Sir Alex era.

The most frustrating aspect of this claim is the amount of Ten Hag signings that have arrived under his watch. Andre Onana, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Antony all played for him at Ajax.

Controversial decisions are getting absurd

Mazraoui started in attacking midfield against Fenerbahce on Thursday night. The Moroccan right-back signed from Bayern to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka was deployed ahead of Christian Eriksen, a natural attacking midfielder, and started ahead of Amad Diallo, who has played the role before.

Ten Hag defended this decision by claiming he knew what he was capable of in the role. He played a part in Eriksen's goal but overly wasn't a threat and looked uncomfortable.

Amad came on after Antony despite starting the season as one of United's better performers. The Ivorian winger's face was telling as Ten Hag's assistants, including Ruud van Nistelrooy, tried to calm the young attacker.

These are just some of the odd tactical decisions he's made over the past year and a half. He also started Lisandro Martinez at left back to play Mazraoui in the No.10 role while Amad sat on the bench.

INEOS need to accept defeat

Ten Hag was handed a one-year contract extension in the summer solely down to guiding Manchester United to the FA Cup. There's no hiding away from INEOS' decision being dictated by that famous day out at Wembley, a 2-1 win against rivals City.

Ten Hag has won the hearts of fans in many moments, including the 2023 Carabao Cup triumph. His debut season was a massive success, with a third-place finish in the league and optimism about the tide turning at United.

Fans relentlessly tore into INEOS amid their end-of-season review in the summer. They reportedly spoke to several candidates to replace Ten Hag, including new England manager Thomas Tuchel, per The Mirror.

Ten Hag continued in the dugout, but the club's co-owners must be coming to terms with the fact that they catered to the noise rather than making the correct decision. They can right that wrong, not only for the good of United but also for the manager, who would most likely flourish elsewhere with a fresh start.