Man Utd: Senior Chelsea figure ‘leaked’ Ten Hag sack report on eve of FA Cup final as stunt backfired
A senior figure at Chelsea ‘leaked’ false information that Man Utd would sack Erik ten Hag on the eve of the FA Cup final, according to reports.
The Red Devils announced on Monday morning that they had sacked manager Ten Hag after the club’s terrible start to the campaign.
Man Utd slipped to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday at West Ham and sit in the bottom half of the table. They have won only one of their last eight games in all competitions.
A club statement read: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
“Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”
Speculation over Ten Hag’s future had regained intensity in recent weeks after the 54-year-old Dutchman remained in the role at the end of last season.
Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe kept faith with Ten Hag after the Red Devils beat arch-rivals Manchester City to lift the FA Cup in May, but after only three wins from nine league games the club has taken decisive action.
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Ten Hag has been under pressure at various times in his tenure, which lasted over two seasons, and the pressure was never higher than after they finished last season in eighth position last term.
But the Dutchman knew he had an oppoortunity to gain back some credit with victory over Man City in the FA Cup final but the build-up was overshadowed by a report claiming Man Utd had decided to sack him whether they won the competition or not.
And now the Manchester Evening News claims that a senior figure at Chelsea was apparently behind the leak to the newspapers.
The report claimed:
‘The day before, a report promised Ten Hag’s sacking. One of the industry whispers was that a senior figure at Chelsea had leaked it in the hope it would disrupt United’s preparations as the Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna had rejected Chelsea and was holding out for the United job.
‘United stunned City, nabbed Chelsea’s place in the Europa League, relegating them to the Conference League, and McKenna accepted a salary hike at Ipswich.’
