Erik ten Hag has been left “completely devastated” by his sacking at Manchester United.
Following a disappointing 2-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday, which saw the Red Devils slump to an alarming 14th in the Premier League table, Ten Hag’s spell as manager at Old Trafford finally came to an end. His side’s abysmal form came despite a whopping £200million spent on new talent during the summer.
Ten Hag will likely be succeeded by Sporting Lisbon’s tactician Ruben Amorim, after spending over two years with United, capturing both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup titles under his belt – but also being at the helm for the club’s worst-ever Premier League finish last term.
Former team-mate and close associate Hans Kraay Jr, in conversation with Dutch publication SoccerNews, opened up about Ten Hags emotional state post-sacking, revealing he is “completely ruined”. Kraay Jr shared that although Ten Hag is in line for a €17million payoff, monetary compensation is far from his mind.
He said: “I understand that he is getting €17million and then people say: ‘he will go somersaulting through Manchester’. No, he is completely, completely devastated, he is completely ruined. At the moment you don’t think about money,” reports the Mirror.
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“That will come later. I also don’t have the impression that I have to call him tomorrow to ask ‘can you still make ends meet, can you still get the groceries?’ Not that, but now he’s in trouble.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy, stepping in at United on an interim basis amid talks of Amorim’s expected appointment, has shared Ten Hag’s feelings after his firing. He told the press: “I’ve seen him Monday here and I’ve spoken to him yesterday before the game. Obviously, [he is] very disappointed and touched because he really cared for the club.
“I said also yesterday in the first conversation we had for me to come back to the club with him I really felt that he cared and loved the club and wanted to bring this club forward and that’s why we connected, and that’s why he’s also hurt that he had to leave but also proud of his achievements here with the two cups and obviously the history that he’s leaving with that.”