Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen and Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand has given his reaction to the news
Rio Ferdinand has delivered a cryptic response to the news that Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just two league games in charge. The Leverkusen job was Ten Hag’s first since he was axed by Manchester United last year, but things quickly turned sour.
Ten Hag replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm after he left for Real Madrid and oversaw a total of three matches across all competitions before being dismissed. Leverkusen lost 2-1 to Hoffenheim and drew 3-3 with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and also beat fourth tier side Sonnenhof Grossaspach 4-0 in the German Cup under Ten Hag.
However, he was sacked after managing director Simon Rolfes claimed that it was « not feasible » for Leverkusen to build a « new and successful team » with him in charge. « This decision was not an easy one for us, » Rolfes said.
« Nobody wanted to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup. »
Chief executive Fernando Carro added: « A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary. We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team. Now it’s a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again. »
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag brutally sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just TWO league games in chargeREAD MORE: Erik ten Hag showed his true colours with comments to Man Utd fans after he was sacked
And United legend Ferdinand has reacted to Ten Hag’s sacking on social media, simply sharing the eyes emoji in response to a post about the news. Ferdinand has previously been critical of the Dutchman, taking aim at the way Ten Hag handled Cristiano Ronaldo.
After Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel during a game against Tottenham in 2022, Ten Hag said the player had refused to come on as a substitute. Ronaldo ultimately left for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr just two months later, having slammed Ten Hag in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
And Ferdinand was critical of Ten Hag’s communication skills during the saga, stating: « I wouldn’t have been happy as a player. I would definitely have approached him. I would probably have been in the queue of people wanting to speak to about that decision.
« But I think there’s two ways to look at, and I don’t condone it for one moment, but there’s always another side to the story. Maybe communication hasn’t been as clear as maybe he would have wanted.
« You’re dealing with someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, like it or not, he’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Probably the greatest footballer to have ever played football along with [Lionel] Messi. So sometimes they are afforded a way of treatment a little bit different to everybody else. It was the same when he was there under Fergie [ Sir Alex Ferguson ].
« I think all the way through his career he’s probably had that communication – how your minutes are going to look, how the games are going to look. And I think he’s at the first point in his life where that’s probably not upheld from the manager, or the club. He’s in a position where well, ‘I don’t know where I’m at’. »
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