Manchester United officially announced the departure of Erik ten Hag from the head coach position. Quite expectedly, after all the turmoil at Old Trafford, nobody was surprised to see the Dutchman's time at the club end. The final blow came in a season that saw them lose 2-1 against West Ham, which even now, in its early days, seemed to jeopardize hopes for better days. Now, Ruud van Nistelrooy comes in as interim coach, but questions are still being asked: what really happened?
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The inevitable burnout of Ten Hag at United
Since his arrival, Erik ten Hag had an uphill task: put sense where there had become chaos-Manchester United. His style, promising discipline and structure, was ideally what the club needed to restore its identity. What happened, however, was a team that, with glimpses of brilliance aside, just never managed to hold consistency. It was there for all to see in the Premier League standings: a mere 14th place with just 9 games played. In the Europa League, not much changed with frustrating draws testing the patience of even the most docile of fans.
Numbers tell the story of this underwhelming show, but disappointment runs deeper. Fans grew tired of watching a team that was seemingly going nowhere, and the board realized that faith in a turnaround was gone, despite prior FA Cup and Carabao Cup wins. It was not about losing to West Ham; it was the lack of any sign of improvement. By then, the change in leadership stopped being an option and became necessary.
The call for Van Nistelrooy and the challenges he confronts
With Ten Hag out of the equation, Ruud van Nistelrooy was called in to attempt to save a sinking ship. Choosing a club legend as a stopgap seems an attempt to placate the fans and put them in charge by someone they know well. Van Nistelrooy, with his storied history as a player, hearkens back to when United was a winning machine. But will nostalgia of past glory be enough to tackle the current reality?
In comes Van Nistelrooy, knowing full well he has his work cut out. He has not only to perform better on the pitch with the team but also to give some semblance of stability to a squad that desperately needs new direction after months of turmoil. Meanwhile, the board needs to make quick decisions on the next permanent move, or things might spiral further out of control.
Coaching market: Xavi, Amorim and the rumors swirling around United
While Van Nistelrooy's future is on a leash, Manchester United is looking to the market for a manager who will reinstate the strength of Old Trafford. One such frontrunner option available is Xavi Hernández of Barcelona. The British press is already abuzz with the meetings of the club with this Spanish coach whose playing style might bring fresh ideas into the English side.
Among them are the name of Rúben Amorim, currently at Sporting, alongside Thomas Frank from Brentford. With Amorim, there is a long-term project with an option of serious workers in Portugal, and with Frank, United has a coach who has experience in building a competitive team with a few resources. Each of these coaches symbolizes one way for United: to bet either on youth and innovation or on rebuilding in a more pragmatic way. A decision that of course needs to be right on the money, since time is not exactly a luxury at Old Trafford.
Turbulent behind-the-scenes and relentless pressure
His departure, on the other hand, shows other issues far away from performance on the pitch. The leadership, now under new CEO Omar Berrada, is constantly under pressure to explain itself, while the decision to extend Ten Hag's contract just four months ago looks like an egregious mistake. The payout of over 16 million euros to the Dutch coach only makes the situation more complicated.
For the faithful, tumult has almost become routine and faith in the administration has reached a breaking point. All this talk of restructuring these days seems to have been tacked on for their followers' benefit, and the patience of the stands ended some time ago. It is pretty hard to have credibility when the only things which catch your eye are managerial teams that always appear to be reacting rather than planning.