Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Bayer Leverkusen’s decision to sack him after just two league matches in charge was “a complete surprise”.
The 55-year-old was only appointed by the German club in the summer having been fired by United in October after two-and-a-half years in charge.
In a statement, Ten Hag criticised the club’s management for not giving him the “time” or “space” to “implement his vision”, calling his dismissal “unprecedented” and stating “this was never a relationship based on mutual trust”.
The Dutchman is the third former United boss to be sacked in a week – after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was dismissed by Besiktas on Thursday and Jose Mourinho exited Fenerbahce on Friday.
It is the fastest sacking in Bundesliga history, breaking the previous record of five matches.
“The decision by Bayer Leverkusen this morning to put me on a leave of absence came as a complete surprise. To part ways with a manager after just two league matches is unprecedented,” said Ten Hag.
“This summer, many key players who were part of past successes left the squad. Building a new, cohesive team is a careful process that requires both time and trust.
“A new coach deserves the space to implement his vision, set the standards, shape the squad and leave his mark on the style of play.
“I started this job with full conviction and energy, but unfortunately the management was not willing to grant me the time and trust I needed, which I deeply regret. I feel this was never a relationship based on mutual trust.
“Throughout my career, every season I have been able to see through to the end as a coach has brought success. Clubs that placed their trust in me have been rewarded with success and silverware.”
Leverkusen have earned one point from their first two league games.
They let a one-goal lead slip to lose 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim and, on Saturday, conceded two late goals against 10-man Werder Bremen to draw 3-3, having led 2-0 and 3-1.
Ten Hag’s first game in charge was a 4-0 German Cup win over fourth-tier side SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach, external on 15 August.
He signed a two-year contract to succeed Xabi Alonso as head coach in May after the Spaniard, who led Leverkusen to a German league and cup Double in 2023-24, was appointed Real Madrid boss.
“Nobody wanted to take this step,” Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes told the club website.
“However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this set-up is not feasible.”
“A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary,” added Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro.
“We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team.”
‘Not an easy decision to make’
Ten Hag was tasked with bedding in more than a dozen new signings before this season, having lost several key players in the summer.
Florian Wirtz joined Liverpool for a fee rising to £116m, Jeremie Frimpong also moved to the Reds for £29.5m and Granit Xhaka signed for Sunderland for £13m.
Defender Jonathan Tah joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer, winger Amine Adli moved to Bournemouth in a deal worth up to £25.1m, while goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky joined Monaco.
The three most expensive signings in Leverkusen’s history – Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven, Jarell Quansah from Liverpool and Eliesse Ben Seghir from Monaco – all arrived this summer for a total of £88.4m (102m euros) plus add-ons.
“This decision was not an easy one for us,” added Rolfes.
“We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new set-up.”
The club did not name a replacement for Ten Hag, saying the “training work would be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being”.
“We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team,” added Carro.
“Now it’s a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again.”
Leverkusen, last season’s Bundesliga runners-up, are in the Champions League this campaign – with Manchester City on 25 November and Newcastle on 10 December among their opponents.
[BBC]