Erik ten Hag says Manchester United promised him loyalty, support and better communication before extending his contract in 2024, but failed to deliver on those commitments before dismissing him four months later.
The Dutchman, who managed United for two and a half years and won the League Cup and FA Cup, says the club’s decision to sell Scott McTominay against his wishes was particularly disappointing.
“I wouldn’t go on with only one year left,” Ten Hag said. “So I said, ‘I need an extra year and we have to do it together’. They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned.
“We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn’t keep.”
Ten Hag was close to losing his job before the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City, with Manchester United having held talks with potential replacements including Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi. Their 2-1 victory at Wembley led the club’s hierarchy to reverse course, while a clause extending Ten Hag’s contract by one year was activated two weeks later during discussions held while he was on holiday in Ibiza.
However, Ten Hag says the agreement was undermined when McTominay left for Napoli for €30.5m (then £25.7m; $33.7m). The midfielder had scored 10 goals that season, and the fee helped United fund the signing of Manuel Ugarte.
“In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, ‘No selling Scott McTominay’,” Ten Hag said. “We don’t have scoring abilities. Scott brings scoring abilities and great mentality. He has United in all his veins. So when they bring up the subject, ‘No’. And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed.”
Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, both previously coached by Ten Hag at Ajax, did arrive, but the manager worked with them for only two months.
United were 14th in the Premier League on 11 points from nine matches when Ten Hag was sacked on October 28, 2024, a day after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham United. He believes the decision came too soon, with his team still in every cup competition and improving statistically despite heavy home defeats by Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
“It was quite weird to separate ways in that moment,” he said. “We were starting the process. Let it progress; the gameplay is getting better.”
Ten Hag also believes the club’s changing leadership created instability. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment was announced on December 24, 2023, followed by the arrivals of Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Christopher Vivell and Jason Wilcox in senior roles.
“The takeover process brought a lot of noise, uncertainty with the people, and disruptions,” he said. “It was very complicated.”
He insists he remains attached to United and wants the club to recover.
“I enjoyed every minute in Manchester United; I have such wonderful memories,” he said. “It feels like I’m connected; I’m a fan. I really want United to win.”
Ten Hag defended Michael Carrick, saying dismissing the current manager would not solve the club’s problems.
“It is not the solution to dismiss him. 100 per cent not,” he said. “You have to make rational decisions. He showed good coaching abilities at Middlesbrough and last season. So let him do his process.”
Ten Hag also discussed disciplinary disputes involving Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo. He said Ronaldo failed to meet the required physical standards in training and did not complete all three laps of a demanding run after the 4-0 defeat by Brentford in August 2022.
“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said. “Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team.”
The former manager said he had pushed Manchester United to sign Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong, while also exploring moves for Danny Welbeck and Brian Brobbey. Kane instead joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur for €110m and has scored 157 goals in 155 games for the German club.
Ten Hag now works as technical director at FC Twente, his boyhood club.
“This is a big club for the Netherlands,” he said. “People are quite critical here. So, things have to work.”
