Betting.Betfair.com
·28 October 2024
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·28 October 2024
Time is up for Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager
Manchester United are today looking for a new manager after finally deciding to sack Erik ten Hag.
The former Ajax man has been under immense pressure all season following such a poor start to the 2024/25 campaign, though he has been fighting an uphill battle since the end of last season.
Despite putting in a decent performance at West Ham on Sunday - when a hugely controversial VAR call saw United fall to a 2-1 defeat to seemingly put the final nail in the coffin for Ten Hag - today's decision feels like it has long been coming.
The club have announced former striker and assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy will be giving the job on an interim basis as they begin their search for a new head coach. Nistelrooy was only appointed by Ten Hag to his staff in the summer.
Following FA Cup success in their final game of last season, Ten Hag was given the chance to lead Manchester United once again, despite rumours that other managers were spoken to in the summer.
Regardless of who and who was not spoken to, new owners INEOS decided to stick with the Dutchman, give him more money to spend and prove he was up to the task.
Both Ten Hag and the players on the pitch have underperformed however, and with four wins in 14 in all competitions, which includes being winless in the Europa League (not the Champions League), and posting their worst ever start to a Premier League season, the decision has been made.
The timing may come as a bit of a surprise however; not only are the games coming thick and fast with four huge fixtures across three competitions to come in the next 10 or so days - including Chelsea at home on Sunday - but Thomas Tuchel was available earlier this month before taking the England job. Mauricio Pochettino was free in the summer, before taking the US job, so have Manchester United missed their chance for two prime targets?
Not many punters will be looking to back Manchester United anytime soon with the Red Devils already seven points and 10 places beneath the top four, but you could argue you'd like an ever bigger price than the 15/2 on offer for them to finish in this season's top four.
They are available to back at 1/5 for a top half finish, but that sentence alone is enough to make the Manchester United fans reading this turn to tears.
The gap to Man City seems to be ever-growing with Pep Guardiola's side once again at the top of the tree, and the market is giving Man Utd a 0.5% chance of somehow winning this season's title - at 200/1. Again, you probably want more, but it only highlights the distance between the two rivals.
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