Erik ten Hag: Former Manchester United manager sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just three games in charge | OneFootball

Ex-Ajax head coach had recently arrived in Germany

He had been dismissed as United boss back in October last year, with a 2-1 defeat by West Ham the final nail in his coffin.

Ten Hag oversaw just three matches during his spell at Leverkusen, where he replaced Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso.

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They beat SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal before being beaten by Hoffenehim 2-1 at home.

A 3-3 draw with 10-man Werder Bremen sealed his fate.

In a statement released by the club managing director Simon Rolfes said: ”This decision was not an easy one for us.

“Nobody wanted to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible.

“We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.”

Fernando Carro, Leverkusen’s CEO, added: “A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary.

“We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team. Now it's a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again.”

Ten Hag had returned to German football after a stint at the helm of Bayern Munich II, where he worked under Pep Guardiola, before he moved back to his native Netherlands to take the reins at Utrecht and then Ajax.

After a four-year stint in Amsterdam which yieled three consecutive Eredivisie titles and an agonising Champions League semi-final defeat by Tottenham, ten Hag succeeded Ralf Rangnick at United after the German had overseen the interim period in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking.

In his time at United, ten Hag lifted two trophies - the League Cup in 2023, beating Newcastle in the final, and the FA Cup in 2024, where they defeated Manchester City.

Ten Hag was rewarded by the new ownership at the time with a one-year extension to his contract in the north-west following the FA Cup triumph, but United’s dismal start to the 2024-25 campaign ultimately earned him the sack.