Erik ten Hag left red-faced over Pep Guardiola comment as Man United swing the axe

Erik ten Hag has ultimately been proven wrong after comparing his Manchester United tenure to Pep Guardiola during the summer.

The Dutch coach was sacked by United on Monday following the team’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham United at the weekend. Ten Hag, 54, won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his two years in charge but failed to transmit that success to the Premier League after an impressive third-place finish in 2023. He oversaw the club’s worst top-flight season since 1990, finishing eighth, and leaves United 14th in the table.

Ten Hag’s prowess in cup competitions convinced United to give him a one-year extension and back him heavily in the transfer market, despite speaking to other managers in the build-up to the FA Cup final. After penning his fresh deal, Ten Hag explained that only Manchester City manager Guardiola had a better trophy record in England. However, his argument looks outlandish after being sacked for United’s dismal start to the season.

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“Of course [I feel stronger after winning the FA Cup],” Ten Hag told The Times in July. “This club didn’t win trophies before I came, for six years. In two years, after Guardiola, we won the most trophies in English football. So we are in a strong position.

“Look, we can beat every opponent. Not one time, more than one time against City and also against Liverpool.

“But the truth is that there is a long way to go and we have to be more consistent and we need to create a winning culture.”

Ten Hag was given players to help build that winning culture, signing Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte. Despite being allowed