Former England international Gary Lineker has taken a sly dig at recently sacked Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. The Englishman cheekily complained about the timing of the dismissal, saying United could have sacked him after the Carabao Cup Round-of-16 clash with Leicester City on Wednesday, October 30.
On Sunday, October 27, Ten Hag’s Manchester United succumbed to a disappointing 2-1 defeat against lower-ranked West Ham United in the Premier League. The defeat — United’s fourth of the Premier League season — left the Red Devils in 14th place with a mere 11 points from nine matches.
Less than 24 hours after Man Utd’s loss, the club announced that Ten Hag had left his role as the club’s manager. The statement also confirmed that assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will serve as the club’s caretaker manager until a permanent manager comes on board.
Gary Lineker Takes Dig at Former Manchester United Boss Erik ten Hag
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast after Ten Hag’s dismissal, Lineker said (via Manchester Evening News):
“It’ll be interesting to see now. I mean obviously with these things, there’s a bit of a reaction immediately isn’t there? The team looks re-energized when a manager goes, and [new interim boss] Ruud van Nistelrooy will come in.
“We’re not very happy as Leicester fans, because we’ve got Man United away in the Carabao Cup, I think it’s Wednesday night. They’ll have a new guy in charge, everybody will be buzzing, I can see it now. So, I mean, couldn’t they have waited until Thursday?!”
Manchester United brought Ten Hag on board as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent replacement in the summer of 2022. In his debut season, he took the club to an encouraging third-place finish in the Premier League. However, their good form did not last for long, as United could only manage an eighth-place finish in the English top flight at the end of the 2023-24 season. Overall, Ten Hag managed Manchester United in 128 games, overseeing 72 wins, 20 draws, and 36 defeats.
According to David Ornstein, Sporting boss Ruben Amorim is the frontrunner to become Ten Hag’s permanent replacement. Talks are ongoing between the manager and the club, and if things go according to plan, the 39-year-old could make his managerial debut in England after the international break in November.
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