"I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed." That's Erik ten Hag, speaking publicly for the first time since Manchester United fired him in October 2024 — and he's not holding much back.
In an interview with The Athletic, the Dutchman says he agreed the sale of Scott McTominay was off the table during a summer meeting in Ibiza. United sold him anyway — £25 million to Napoli — and used the funds to sign Manuel Ugarte from PSG for £50 million. McTominay has since scored 27 goals and contributed 10 assists in 85 Napoli appearances, winning Serie A in his debut season. Ugarte, meanwhile, has done little to suggest he was worth double the price. The numbers make United's decision look worse every week.
Promises made, promises broken
Ten Hag's broader argument is that he was handed a contract extension on the back of commitments that never materialised. He'd won the FA Cup in May 2024 — his second trophy in two seasons — but knew his position was fragile enough that he insisted on more than just an extra year on paper.
"I said, 'I need an extra year and we have to do it together'. They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned. We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn't keep."
That's a direct accusation at Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Ineos leadership — not vague frustration, but a specific claim that the people who extended his deal then ignored the terms they'd agreed to in private.
He also confirms he pushed hard for Frenkie de Jong, Declan Rice, and Harry Kane across his tenure — none of whom arrived. On De Jong specifically, Ten Hag says he personally set up meetings with club leadership to make the case, but was ultimately left out of the financial side of negotiations entirely. "Everyone's thinking the manager is doing the negotiations... but I was never."
What this means beyond Ten Hag
The interview matters less as a post-mortem on one manager's exit and more as a window into how United's structure actually operated. If the head coach was being overruled on transfer decisions he'd been explicitly promised influence over, that's not a Ten Hag problem — it's an institutional one. Ruben Amorim is navigating the same hierarchy now.
For anyone tracking United's odds to close the gap on the top four next season, the question isn't whether Amorim is the right man. It's whether the people above him have learned anything from what Ten Hag is describing.
McTominay lifted a league title in Italy this spring. He cost Napoli £25 million. United replaced him with a £50 million midfielder and finished the season mid-table.
