What Next for Ten Hag?
In that time, Ten Hag steered the club to success in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. However, disappointing results and performance in the Premier League saw the United hierarchy act. So what now for Ten Hag?
Ten Hag, 54, arrived at Old Trafford as one of the most impressive managers in world football. At Ajax, he guided the team to the Eredivisie title three times; they won the Dutch Cup twice and were outstanding in the Champions League. His hiring was seen as a good move by United, but some would argue he never really convinced in the Premier League consistently.
Ten Hag, in reality, will be remembered now for how things panned out in Manchester. On departing, United were fourteenth in the Premier League, way off the pace, and not a popular selection where football betting online is concerned. In the league this season, under Ten Hag, United had won three, drawn two and lost four, and were struggling against teams they’d expect to be beating.
This could be an issue for Ten Hag. The Dutchman could point out his success in the domestic cup competitions, and his points per game return across his time at United is 1.84, which isn’t bad at all. But league performance is everything. There’s an expectation to be playing Champions League football every season after finishing in the top four, and while they managed third under Ten Hag in his first campaign at the helm, they finished a lowly eighth last term.
As mentioned above, Ten Hag certainly can point to many successes, such as the two trophies he won, the third-place finish, and how he managed to bring through young talents such as Kobbie Mainoo. But now it will be important for him to get back to winning in a league scenario, replicating what he did at Ajax, a club where he's held in the highest regard after a hugely successful time as manager.
It’s highly unlikely that Ten Hag is going to jump back into football immediately or be offered a huge job at the back of his time in Manchester. But you’d imagine he will be sought after, especially by clubs that remember what he did at Ajax and take the positives from his time at United.
In terms of what's next for the Dutchman, a break will undoubtedly be on the agenda. It's time to take stock. Then, there will be the determination to take on a new challenge. You'd imagine it's possible that the next challenge could come in a league he's managed in before, such as the Eredivisie, or he could head back to Germany to manage in the Bundesliga. But whatever Ten Hag chooses to do, if he can find the path back to the Ten Hag of Ajax, it won't be long before huge clubs come calling once again.