Erik ten Hag’s statement on Pep Guardiola comes back to bite him as Man Utd sack boss

Erik ten Hag has been axed by Manchester United. three months after comparing his reign to Pep Guardiola's tenure at Manchester City.

The decision to sack Ten Hag followed United's 2-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday. Ten Hag won both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his two-year spell at Old Trafford but stumbled in the league after coming third in his debut season. Last season, United ended up eighth, their worst finish in the Premier League era. They are currently 14th in the table.

Despite the United hierarchy speaking to possible successors ahead of the FA Cup final, Ten Hag persuaded his bosses to hand him a one-year extension after masterminding a win over Guardiola's City side at Wembley. This led to the former Ajax coach being heavily backed in the transfer market but those new signings have not hit the ground running.

Before United's early season struggles, Ten Hag was in a bullish mood after agreeing his contract extension. The 54-year-old argued that only City boss Guardiola had won more trophies during his time in England - but that comparison quickly fell flat this season.

"Of course [I feel stronger after winning the FA Cup]," Ten Hag told The Times in July. "This club didn't win trophies before I came, for six years. In two years, after Guardiola, we won the most trophies in English football. So we are in a strong position.

"Look, we can beat every opponent. Not one time, more than one time against City and also against Liverpool.

"But the truth is that there is a long way to go and we have to be more consistent and we need to create a winning culture."

Ten Hag was backed to build that crucial winning mentality, snapping up Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte, yet it didn't materialise. Ten Hag led United to just three victories in nine league matches and they are also languishing 21st in the Europa League following a trio of draws

United legend and assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has stepped up as caretaker manager while the hunt for the next manager is ongoing. In contrast, Guardiola's side have kept their eye on the prize, with City leading the table as they hunt a fifth straight Premier League crown.

A United club statement said "We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future. Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited."

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