Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United tenure ended this morning after two and a half years in charge.
The Dutchman was given a vote of confidence by new minority owners Ineos over the summer and handed a new contract.
But the club have continued to stagnate on the field and yesterday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham left them in 14th place in the Premier League.
Club statement: Erik ten Hag.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 28, 2024
Recruitment has been an issue for United throughout Ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford and while he cannot be blamed solely for some of the mistakes, there are some that appear to be on him.
Here, we assess the five signings that contributed to his downfall.
1. ANTONY
The poster boy for everything that went wrong for Ten Hag at Manchester United.
The pair worked together at Ajax and Ten Hag sanctioned an £81.3million move for the Brazil winger in September 2022.
It has not worked out. Off-field issues have dogged the 24-year-old but it’s his on-field displays that have stood out for their mediocrity.
Now in his third season at the club, Antony has scored just five goals and added three assists across 56 Premier League appearances.
2. CASEMIRO
Another expensive flop. Defensive midfielder Casemiro won five Champions League titles at Real Madrid but was starting to show signs of regression before he joined United for a fee rising to £70m in August 2022.
The then-30-year-old was handed a lucrative four-year deal which has not proven to be money well spent.
The Brazilian has looked past his best and lacking the athleticism to hold his own in Premier League games.
Ten Hag described Casemiro as “the cement between the stones” on his arrival.
3. MASON MOUNT
United made Mount their first summer signing of the 2023 off-season after he was allowed to leave boyhood club Chelsea after almost 200 appearances in all competitions.
At £55m, it seemed a decent buy but the former England international has suffered with injury problems that have restricted him to just 17 league appearances.
Is on a five-year deal at United.
4. JOSHUA ZIRKZEE
Arguably a little harsh to include Zirkzee in the list so early into his United career but the Netherlands international looks some way short of the quality required.
Brought in from Bologna for £36.5m to provide competition for Rasmus Hojlund, Zirkzee has managed just one goal in nine league games.
5. WOUT WEGHORST
If ever a signing encapsulated a lack of ambition it was this.
Dutchman Weghorst joined Burnley in January 2022 and was tasked with scoring the goals to keep the Clarets in the Premier League. He failed, managing just two as Burnley went down.
He was then loaned to Turkish side Besiktas but Burnley cut that deal short so he could join United on loan in January 2023 for the remainder of the season.
His workrate could not be questioned but a record of no goals in 17 league appearances as a centre forward spoke volumes.
