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Ex-Man Utd manager 'the worst in 15-20 years'
Suraj Radia
- 3 Sept 2025 16:30 BST
- 4 min read
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Ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been branded the worst manager in 20 years following his sacking by Bayer Leverkusen after just three games in charge.
Ten Hag penned a two-year deal to replace Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen but a series of disagreements and surprising decisions behind the scenes led to the Bundesliga giants feeling buyers’ remorse and terminating his contract this week.
BILD claim that Ten Hag had managed to ‘turn all departments, bodies and players against him’ during his short stint in charge and failed to show ‘leadership or direction’ at any level.
Ten Hag’s training sessions had come under criticism, with the locker room ‘puzzled’ why ‘push ups seemed to have a similar importance to running and passing’, leaving players feeling as though they did not know what to do on the pitch during the collapse against Werder Bremen, where Leverkusen drew 3-3 after going 3-1 up.
Having opted against giving a ‘rousing speech’ ahead of Leverkusen’s season opener against Hoffenheim, Ten Hag was left out of transfer talks despite his pushing for more involvement in deals, which suggested his days were already numbered at the club.
The situation led to Leverkusen’s employees having discussions about the worst coaches in the last 15-20 years, with Ten Hag in a ‘top ranking’, cementing his destiny with the club.
Ten Hag pushed for transfers from personal agency
Another report by German outlet KSTA gave further insight into Ten Hag’s disagreements behind the scenes, with a familiar situation playing out to his United days.
It is claimed that Ten Hag was ‘resistant to advice’ and ‘repeatedly seeking to interfere in squad planning despite prior agreements’, which raised tension between him and senior figures.
Crucially, Ten Hag is said to have pushed for players to be signed from the SEG agency he is part of, having led a similar transfer strategy at United where he signed the likes of Antony and Rasmus Hojlund who are also represented by the firm.
The situation led to Leverkusen chief Simon Rofles taking responsibility for the disastrous outcome, while Ten Hag has fiercely defended his tenure in order to save his declining reputation.
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