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Erik ten Hag’s tenure at Manchester United, which officially ended yesterday, was a tale of ambition overshadowed by contradictions and missteps.
He leaves Old Trafford with a Carabao Cup and FA Cup, achievements that place him in rare company among recent managers since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
However, the Dutch manager’s third season unraveled rapidly, revealing tactical inconsistencies, misaligned transfers, and a struggle to manage the club’s relentless pressures.
United’s search for stability now continues with reports that Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim may be close to stepping in as Ten Hag’s successor.
Contradictions at the core of Ten Hag’s tactics
Ten Hag arrived in 2022 with a clear vision: to implement a possession-based, high-energy style reminiscent of his Ajax days. Yet, he soon found that his ideals conflicted with the team’s abilities.
The first red flag emerged in his pursuit of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, a linchpin for the midfield who could effectively link defense and attack. United’s failure to land him led to a last-minute pivot toward Real Madrid’s Casemiro, a brilliant defensive talent but a very different profile from De Jong.
This quick shift marked a critical, enduring issue: tactical improvisations that seemed reactive rather than aligned with a cohesive strategy.
In the first two games of his debut season, Ten Hag attempted to implement a possession-driven system but faced immediate setbacks, notably a bruising loss to Brentford.
Swiftly abandoning his initial vision, he adopted a counter-attacking setup that capitalized on pace, resulting in a third-place Premier League finish and a Carabao Cup win. Yet, this wasn’t sustainable.
Ten Hag’s subsequent attempt to integrate technical players in defense, while relying on less technical forwards like Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, resulted in a fragmented team structure.
The Athletic’s Carl Anka highlighted how Ten Hag’s efforts to merge possession play with direct, fast attacks backfired, leaving United vulnerable to counters and often stunted in their own buildup.
Failed signings
Despite glimmers of hope, United’s transfer strategy under Ten Hag was fraught with questionable decisions.
The €100 million price tag for Antony — who fell short of expectations — further pointed to a tendency to favor familiar players over truly strategic signings.
Spending £60 million on Mason Mount while more suitable options like Mohammed Kudus were available raised eyebrows.
Transfer missteps compounded as Ten Hag’s tactical ambitions became increasingly difficult to sustain. The result was a roster that lacked coherence, with a defensive structure unfit for his style and an attack frequently disconnected from the midfield.
Adding to these issues, Ten Hag displayed a reluctance to rotate his squad, particularly with players like Rashford and Fernandes, who would complete nearly every game regardless of form. This rigidity, mirrored in his defensive structures, saw United struggle to maintain leads, making for an unsteady rhythm that ultimately stunted team growth.
Overwhelmed by expectations and Old Trafford’s demands
Ten Hag was the fifth permanent manager tasked with restoring a club that had achieved its glory days under Ferguson but had since grown accustomed to disappointment.
As Carl Anka underscores, succeeding at United requires navigating layers of club politics and external pressures, where each misstep amplifies discontent among a global fanbase and feeds relentless media scrutiny. Ten Hag’s post-match comments often reflected this, as he seemed torn between defending past successes and justifying a deteriorating present.
Anka noted that Ten Hag’s tenure paralleled the club’s ongoing identity crisis — a struggle to reconcile the commercial demands of a global enterprise with the expectations of competitive excellence.
The delays in Ten Hag’s dismissal reflected the club’s hopes to escape the managerial merry-go-round that has defined the post-Ferguson era, but as losses mounted, their patience wore thin. His eventual sacking is a reflection of both his failures and the club’s continued struggle to find a clear path forward.
As United anticipate the arrival of Ruben Amorim, the club must reckon with foundational issues that no single manager can resolve alone. New CEO Omar Berrada has outlined ambitious plans to win the Premier League by 2028, but achieving that goal will require more than tactical changes; it will demand a cohesive strategy and an overhaul of transfer policies.
Amorim, a promising candidate, may bring fresh energy and vision, but he will inherit the same complex web of expectations that undid his predecessor.
Erik ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford, in all its complexity, underscored the near-impossibility of success under United’s current structure. Despite glimpses of potential, his tenure ultimately became another chapter in the club’s decade-long search for stability and identity.
As United looks to the future, their next manager must not only implement a successful playing style but also navigate the club’s deep-seated challenges to truly bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.
