Blomqvist: Ten Hag’s Delayed Sacking a “Double Fault” for Manchester United

Jesper Blomqvist, a former Manchester United midfielder and member of the 1999 Treble-winning squad, has characterized the decision by the club’s owners to extend Erik ten Hag’s tenure before his dismissal as a “double fault,” asserting that it has left them “even more behind.” Reports had previously indicated that the club’s ownership explored potential successors for Ten Hag during the summer period, ultimately opting to retain the Dutchman. Nevertheless, a challenging commencement to the season resulted in the 54-year-old’s dismissal on Monday, subsequent to a 2-1 loss to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Blomqvist stated, “Not a big surprise [he has gone] but it should have been done in the summer.” He further elaborated, “Now it became a double fault from Ineos, and the directors, giving him more time [after] they bought his players and everything and then still sacked him a couple of months later.” Blomqvist added, “Now they’re really even more behind and they’ve got a squad of players that maybe will be hard for the next manager to find the right place for.” Former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has assumed the role of caretaker manager, though reports indicate that Ruben Amorim, the current manager of Sporting Lisbon, is considered the long-term objective. Blomqvist expressed the view that the task for any subsequent manager will be “even harder” given that the season is already underway. He elaborated, “It always makes it much harder to implement [your style]. You don’t have any time at all to implement your tactics and you’re straight into the lion’s den.” Blomqvist concluded, “It will be really tough for the new manager to come in and change things. On the other hand, it has been quite bad results so the possibility of making it better is quite good anyway – lots of room for improvement.”