Premier League managers have expressed sympathy for Erik ten Hag after he was sacked by Manchester United on Monday, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot describing his compatriot’s dismissal as “a pity” and Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola saying he feels “sorry” for him.
Ten Hag’s two-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford came to an end after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium and he leaves with the club 14th in the Premier League table and without a victory in Europe in more than 12 months.
“He is a Dutch manager so that makes it even harder for me, for us as Dutch people,” Slot told a news conference on Tuesday. “Always your first thoughts are with the person. We are all in this job so we know that it can happen but if it happens … Especially because I know him a little bit and I know how much work he puts into it, and then to get this news for him is of course a pity.
“But we also know, especially us coming from Holland, how well he did at Ajax and that he won two trophies over here so we will see him I think in the near future at a big club again, but at this moment for him and his family it’s of course … Tragedy is maybe a bit too much to say but it’s a big disappointment.”
City boss Pep Guardiola admitted that he felt “sorry” for Ten Hag and said that job insecurity is part of the game for managers at the top level.
“I feel sorry for him,” he said on Tuesday. “I don’t see architects, doctors, teachers who get the sack, people expect results from us”
“If I didn’t get results I wouldn’t be here, it is a business. you have to take results.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said that he was sad to see Ten Hag leave United and pointed to the Dutchman’s successes in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
“It’s always sad to see one of our colleagues lose his job,” he said. “I think he’d done a really good job, he’d won titles there, he’d changed a lot of things. He’s a phenomenal coach and it’s difficult.
“Unfortunately when these things happen, the exposure we have as managers, we are always in the line. Especially when you look at the game, how they lost it, it was incredible. But they made the decision and I wish him all the best for his new chapter.”
Meanwhile, Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou said Ten Hag’s exit was “almost inevitable.”
Asked if he was shocked by the the Dutchman’s sacking, Posetecoglou said: “No, not really shocked… As disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he’d had so, yeah, it’s just the nature of football these days.”
United’s bid to hire Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim as Ten Hag’s replacement has moved closer with the Portuguese club informing the country’s financial regulator that the Premier League team have confirmed their willingness to pay Amorim’s €10 million ($10.79m) release clause.
While it is unclear at this stage whether Amorim has accepted the challenge of succeeding Ten Hag at Old Trafford, sources told ESPN that United are determined to seal a deal for the highly-rated coach before Sunday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea.