Ronaldo treatment, 'fell on his sword' - fresh Erik ten Hag theories emerge on Man United sacking

Erik ten Hag has been given the sack by Manchester United - and Manchester Evening News readers in our comments section say that it was the right call to make to rescue the season.

The decision was made on Monday after a poor start to the season, cast in an even worse light by the investment that the club made in the squad this summer. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority ownership group Ineos kept Ten Hag on after his FA Cup win this year, but patience finally ran out with Sunday's 2-1 loss to West Ham.

Over £600million has been spent on players during Ten Hag's time, with newcomers like Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte being added to his team, but the team has struggled to match the pace of the rest of the Premier League elite. A fine first season saw a third-place finish and a Carabao Cup trophy added to the cabinet, but highs such as the FA Cup win have been hard to come by.

READ MORE: 'No excuses' - why United sacked Ten Hag

READ MORE: 'We won't be bailing him out again' - the untold story of Ten Hag's sacking

MEN reader Anniemause says: "100% the right decision, albeit nine months late. Ten Hag was never up to the job as his treatment of CR7 demonstrated from the outset, and that he seemed to treat attacking as always a low priority only further proved it. Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim makes sense and hopefully he can succeed and turn the squad around to the extent of getting himself a permanent contract. There is no question RVN has the pedigree as a player to understand what is required at Old Trafford and with a bit of luck we will now see some management which will better support the reputation of the club."

Commenter Fayfromalgeria writes: "I feel for him. Fine