Erik ten Hag: Man Utd sack manager after defeat at West Ham

Former Ajax coach Ten Hag, 54, took charge in the summer of 2022 and led the club to third place in the Premier League in his first season.

He also led United to their first silverware in six seasons with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the 2023 Carabao Cup final and finished second in the FA Cup final, losing 2-1 to Manchester City.

His second season as manager started poorly, with United finishing bottom of the Champions League group in the autumn but winning a trophy and beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group bought a 27.7% stake in the club in December 2023 and the British billionaire told BBC Sport in February that the club's problems went well beyond the manager's role.

“Manchester United have had many managers over the last 11 years and no one has been successful in that environment,” Ratcliffe said. “That tells me there’s something wrong with the environment.”

But a poor start to the season, which saw United win just one of their last eight games in all competitions, forced the board to act.