While Ten Hag\u2019s reputation had taken a hit at Man Utd<\/a>, he was put into a no-win position at Leverkusen as more than half the squad was sold. <\/p>\n He hadn\u2019t managed to win a league game in two attempts, but the circumstances clearly weren\u2019t kind to him. He\u2019s made that point in a scathing blast at the club, making a Man Utd point in the process. <\/p>\n Any coach can feel aggrieved if they are relieved of their duties after just two league games, let alone in a season where the whole squad was dismantled. <\/p>\n Ten Hag can be forgiven for thinking that he\u2019s effectively been used as a dummy by Leverkusen to take focus away from the gutting of the team.<\/p>\n That sentiment has been reflected in Ten Hag\u2019s first comments after leaving Leverkusen, where he expressed surprise at the club\u2019s decision while backing his credentials. <\/p>\n He said: The decision by Bayer Leverkusen\u2019s management this morning to put me on a leave of absence came as a complete surprise. To part ways with a coach after just two league matches is unprecedented.<\/p>\n \u201cThis summer, many key players who were part of past successes left the squad. Building a new, cohesive team is a careful process that requires both time and trust. A new coach deserves the space to implement his vision, set the standards, shape the squad, and leave his mark on the style of play.<\/p>\n \u201cI started this job with full conviction and energy, but unfortunately, the management was not willing to grant me the time and trust I needed, which I deeply regret. I feel this was never a relationship based on mutual trust.<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout my career, every season I have been able to see through to the end as a coach has brought success. Clubs that placed their trust in me have been rewarded with success and silverware.\u201d<\/p>\n Ten Hag makes Man Utd point in remarks<\/p>\n The second-to-last paragraph, just before the gratitude for the fans, is particularly interesting from Man Utd\u2019s point of view. <\/p>\n He stresses that the clubs that backed him for a full season were rewarded with silverware, which is an undeniable fact. <\/p>\n He won the Carabao Cup in his first season and went one better to win the FA Cup in his second season despite a campaign full of wretched performances. <\/p>\n At the same time, his constant talk of winning trophies had started grating on Man Utd fans<\/a> at Old Trafford<\/a>, and this instance of him recalling that is hardly going to bring him any sympathy.<\/p>\n Ten Hag was put in a difficult position at Leverkusen and clearly deserved more time, but the Dutchman talking about the silverware he won with Man Utd isn\u2019t the winner argument he thinks it is. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The deadline day threw many curveballs at Manchester United, but nobody will remember it more than Erik ten…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[11389,403,99],"class_list":["post-125955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-erik-ten-hag","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Head](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2232869183-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Christof Koepsel\/Getty ImagesErik ten Hag fires back at Leverkusen<\/p>\n