Man Utd: Romano responds to Ten Hag sack talk; reveals whether he was ‘close’ to axe during break

Lewis Oldham
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag has been sacked by the Red Devils.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has commented on Erik ten Hag’s situation and whether he was “close to getting fired” during the international break.

Ten Hag was fortunate to keep his job at the end of last season as Man Utd struggled en route to finishing eighth in the Premier League.

The Red Devils finished the 2023/24 campaign on a high as they won the FA Cup and this ultimately saved Ten Hag.

At the end of last season, Man Utd were linked with several potential replacements but they stuck with Ten Hag, who extended his contract until 2026.

Last season was disappointing for United, but the optimism at Old Trafford raised following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover at the start of this year.

However, the mood at Man Utd has declined in recent weeks as they have won just two of their opening seven Premier League games. They have also drawn their opening two Europa League matches.

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Ten Hag is the favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked and Ruud van Nistelrooy is the frontrunner to replace him after Thomas Tuchel decided to become England’s new head coach.

United’s last game before the international break was against Aston Villa and the Premier League rivals drew 0-0. Following this result, Ratcliffe and other board members had a meeting in London and Ten Hag’s future was reportedly discussed. 

Ten Hag was not sacked in the aftermath of this meeting, but he arguably needs a win this weekend when his side host Brentford at Old Trafford.

The Dutch head coach is under pressure, but Romano claims he was “never really close to getting fired this week or the last”.

“They are preparing for the Brentford game. Ten Hag didn’t receive any formal communication from the Man Utd board telling him he could continue in the job,” Romano said.

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“Man Utd board never felt they had to tell the manager anything. They discussed the situation, the problems they have at the club, and the slow start in the Premier League and Europa League but they never had to tell something directly to Ten Hag.

“The club insists that he was never really close to getting fired this week or the last. So, this is the feeling – they have problems, and they are discussing the position of Ten Hag for sure, but was never something close to being resolved in recent days.

“This is why Erik ten Hag has always been focused on the Brentford game to improve the situation in terms of results and performances.”