Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag.
Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach while a permanent head coach is recruited, United confirmed.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future,” United said in a short statement.
Ten Hag’s two-and-a-half-year spell at Old Trafford has ended after a poor start to the campaign, with United sitting 14th in the Premier League.
The 54-year-old former Ajax boss had been backed by new co-owners INEOS in the summer with a contract extension until June 2026.
That came despite the group initially speaking to a number of other candidates to replace him on the back of an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League, their worst top-flight position since 1990.
The club sanctioned around £200m of spending in the summer transfer window, but Man Utd’s underwhelming start to the new campaign has now seen the manager pay the price for their patchy form.
The decision to sack Erik ten Hag was understood to be a difficult and finely-balanced one – but a unanimous one by the Man Utdhierarchy.
The club’s board wanted wanted to give Ten Hag the opportunity to work within a new sporting structure, but decided results and performances across last season and the beginning of this one have not been good enough.
In contrast to the comments from Ten Hag, the hierarchy did not see the team on the right path. It is understood they feel there are no excuses for the position United are in.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is seen as a short-term solution until a permanent manager is found.
United have won just four of their 14 games this season.
Story by Sky Sport