Erik ten Hag is reportedly under pressure at Bayer Leverkusen – after fellow former Manchester United managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were both sacked this week.
Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have both been sacked this week. (Image: Getty Images)
Ex-Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly faces being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen if they don’t win their second match of the Bundesliga season.
Leverkusen lost 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim on the opening weekend – despite former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah scoring six minutes into that game. They now visit Werder Bremen before the September international break gets underway.
Ten Hag has already won one match – although that came against a fourth-tier team, Sonnenhof Grossaspach – in the first round of the German Cup. However, a trip to Bremen this weekend has become even more critical because of the fortnight off that follows this fixture.
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Bild claims that there is no grace period for Ten Hag, who they allege already seemed powerless after a lacklustre performance in their first match of the season. Nervousness is reputedly rising in Leverkusen, with beating Bremen considered a must.
Ten Hag has acknowledged as much. “We have to win, that’s clear,” he has said.
However, reusing a phrase from his time in charge of Manchester United, the Dutchman added: “I’m not Harry Potter. Sometimes there are steps forward, sometimes a step back.”
It has already been a bad week for other former United managers, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the first to go.
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“After getting knocked out of UEFA Conference League tonight, Besiktas Board of Directors held an emergency meeting and decided to part ways with Head Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer,” the Turkish club confirmed on Thursday. Lausanne beat them 1-0 in Istanbul after drawing the first leg.
One day earlier, Fenerbahce lost to Benfica in the play-off round of Champions League qualification. After a 0-0 draw in Turkey, the Portuguese team won 1-0 at home.
Then, a few hours later on Friday morning, Fenerbahce parted ways with Jose Mourinho. A club statement titled “for public information” thanked him for his efforts and wished the Portuguese well.
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