Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s mind was made up once he saw the crushing result from West Ham.
So he convened talks with his fellow kingpins at Manchester United, to make the call he’d put off for too long. Erik ten Hag had to go.
Discussions between Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Barrada, INEOS head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford and United sporting director Dan Ashworth were short, but not so sweet. Club insiders insist the decision was unanimous.
Those making the call made a collective one, safe in the knowledge Ten Hag had been given all he wanted – and then some – to turn United into a major force once again. But he had failed.
And the conscience of those who wield all the power at Old Trafford was clear. Ten Hag knew what was coming, and is said to have accepted the decision with good grace.
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He had run out of excuses, and instructed his legal team, including agent Kees Vos, to begin negotiations over compensation that could exceed £7m.
United wanted to give Ten Hag time to work within a new sporting structure, following the recent arrivals of Berrada, Ashworth and Brailsford alongside Ratcliffe.
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But following a poor season last time out, results became even worse and those who took part in United’s version of the ‘night of the long knives’ all agreed the lack of progress and momentum was nowhere near good enough.
Ratcliffe made the point that the club had bent over backwards to put things in place to give Ten Hag the best chance of success. But in return, all the club got back was abject failure.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has now been appointed as interim manager, while United decide who next to take on the seemingly impossible permanent task of restoring the fallen Premier League giants to their former glory.