Erik ten Hag: Pep Guardiola 'feels sorry' for sacked Manchester United manager, Ange Postecoglou 'not really shocked'
Published 29/10/2024 at 15:15 GMT
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday he "feels sorry" for Erik ten Hag, after the Dutchman was dismissed from his duties at Manchester United on Monday, following the 2-1 Premier League defeat to West Ham United. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou said he is "not really shocked" by the move, after Ten Hag was placed under intense "scrutiny".
Slot says Ten Hag will return ‘at a big club’, gives injury updates on Jota and Alisson
Video credit: SNTV
Pep Guardiola said he "feels sorry" for outgoing Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, while Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou said he is "not really shocked" that the Dutchman was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag was sacked on Monday after leading The Red Devils to their worst-ever Premier League start, sitting 14th in the table and winless in the UEFA Europa League so far this campaign.
The decision followed the Red Devils' 2-1 defeat to West Ham United at London Stadium, leaving Ten Hag with just four victories from 13 matches in the 2024/25 season.
His Manchester counterpart Guardiola expressed sympathy for the former Ajax boss in a press conference on Tuesday.
"I feel sorry for him," Guardiola said. "I don't see architects, doctors, teachers who get the sack. People expect results from us.
"If I didn't get results, I wouldn't be here. It is a business. You have to take results."
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While Ten Hag also led Man United to their lowest finish of the Premier League era last season, he did end the club's trophy drought with Carabao Cup success in his debut season, before securing FA Cup glory earlier this year.
And Spurs boss Postecoglou, who himself has come under pressure following disappointing defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, provided a brazen response to Ten Hag's departure – saying the decision felt "inevitable".
"No, not really shocked," the Spurs manager said. "As disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he'd had so, yeah, it's just the nature of football these days."
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Ten Hag slams VAR ‘process’ after controversial Hammers penalty hands Man Utd late loss
Video credit: SNTV
Ten Hag attributed the club's poor start to their extensive list of injuries, which has seen the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw have extended periods on the sidelines.
But Man United – whose sporting operations are now led by Ineos after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority stake purchase in February – opted to call time on the Dutchman's spell just three months after signing a new two-year contract.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot spoke fondly of Ten Hag, backing his compatriot to land another "big club" in the "near future".
"He is a Dutch manager, so that makes it even harder for me, for us as Dutch people," Slot told a press conference on Tuesday.
"Always your first thoughts are with the person. We are all in this job so we know that it can happen.
"Especially because I know him a little bit and I know how much work he puts into it, and then to get this news for him is, of course, a pity.
"But we also know, especially us coming from Holland, how well he did at Ajax and that he won two trophies over here, so we will see him, I think, in the near future at a big club again.
"But at this moment for him and his family, it's of course... 'tragedy' is maybe a bit too much to say, but it's a big disappointment."
Ruud van Nistelrooy has assumed interim responsibilities in the wake of Ten Hag's dismissal, while widespread reports say that the club have identified Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim as their primary target.
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