Manchester United bungling over Erik ten Hag shows decisive Chelsea owners deserve some credit | OneFootball

While the Red Devils pay the price for summer dithering, their rivals are looking ahead with renewed optimism after acting decisively

‘Farewell Erik ten Hag and thanks for the memories' feels like an appropriate sentiment for fans of both Manchester United and every other club in the country.

Ten Hag, who was finally sacked on Monday, won two trophies in as many seasons at Old Trafford, the club's first silverware since 2017, but also helped to provide heady days out for United's rivals and some first-rate rubbernecking for neutrals.

Liverpool supporters will never forget their 7-0 win over Ten Hag's United in March 2023. Manchester City have a 6-3 victory to savour, while the Dutchman's hapless side also provided lifelong memories for fans of Brentford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and others.

For observers of a certain vintage who grew up in an era of relentless United dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson, their repeated humiliations - which long pre-date Ten Hag and began with the Scot's retirement in 2013 - grow less surprising but never get old.

The good news for neutrals is that there appears every chance that United's permacrisis will persist beyond Ten Hag, even if they manage to appoint a successor in the class of Ruben Amorim, who is their leading target.

Sacked: Erik ten Hag was finally dismissed by Manchester United on Monday

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As well as those two trophies, Ten Hag's legacy is a wildly unbalanced squad, packed with overpriced and underwhelming players he personally handpicked.

How could Amorim or any other progressive coach hope to press coherently when ageing pair Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are still part of the midfield?

Can Ten Hag's successor really modernise the defence when Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire have already made 16 appearances between them this season?

Long-term, rebuilding the squad and transforming United's culture from the top down is an onerous task for their next boss, although they will hope for a bounce under Ruud van Nistelrooy, a legendary former striker who was placed in interim charge on Monday. Stop me if you have heard that one before.

Ten Hag leaves United seven points from fourth place and winless in the Europa League, meaning this season is already in danger of being wasted.

United's rebuild with a new coach could already be well underway but the club's brain trust, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, bottled the decision to sack Ten Hag in the summer - a huge mistake they effectively admitted on Monday.

It is not clear who will be in the home dugout when United face Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday, but the Blues will provide an uncomfortable contrast with their hosts.

The same neutrals who relish United's meltdowns similarly enjoyed Chelsea's descent into madness under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, but the Blues increasingly seem to be a functional and upwardly-mobile club again (provided you ignore their cohort of unwanted players, who have been banished from the first team).

Credit: Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have not dithered like Manchester United when it comes to dismissing managers

Mike Egerton/PA Wire

Chelsea's owners have rightly been criticised for their extravagant spending, chaotic turnover of players, callous treatment of academy graduates and interference in the dressing room but, some credit where it is due, at least they have not dithered like United when it comes to dismissing managers.

When it became obvious that Mauricio Pochettino was not willing to play the owners' game, he was promptly dismissed at the end of last season, in spite of Chelsea's excellent finish to the campaign.

For now, the decision appears justified, with Chelsea continuing to make progress under Enzo Maresca, an impressive coach who is apparently more prepared than Pochettino to accept his place.

While Chelsea's hierarchy happily ignored a succession of strong results under the Argentine, United's owners were paralysed by just one - the FA Cup final win over City - and ended up not just sticking with Ten Hag but backing him to the tune of more than £200million in the transfer market over the summer in addition to a contract extension.

So while Chelsea are looking ahead with renewed optimism, for United the old cycle begins anew, with another period of transition certain but no clear route to success ahead.