Ten Hag Accuses Manchester United Leaders of Breaking Promises

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has accused the club's leadership of breaking commitments made during contract negotiations in 2024, including an agreement to retain Scott McTominay. In an interview published by The Athletic on October 20, 2026, the Dutch coach also questioned the circumstances of his dismissal, criticized the club's internal culture, and explained why he wanted to recruit Declan Rice and Harry Kane.

Ten Hag was dismissed on October 28, 2024, after Manchester United lost 2-1 to West Ham United. The team sat 14th in the Premier League with 11 points from nine matches. His departure came less than five months after the club extended his contract by one year following United's 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final.

According to Ten Hag, discussions during his holiday in Ibiza established expectations of loyalty, financial backing, and better communication between the manager and the club's leadership. He said the subsequent transfer decisions undermined those assurances.

"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," Ten Hag said.

One major disagreement concerned McTominay, who scored 10 goals across all competitions during his final full season at United. The midfielder joined Napoli in the summer of 2024 for €30.5 million, equivalent to £25.7 million at the time, as United raised funds to strengthen their squad.

Ten Hag maintained that retaining the Scotland international was part of their agreement because of his scoring contributions and mentality.

"In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, 'No selling Scott McTominay'. We would go aligned in the transfer window.

I make an argument, a reason: we don't have scoring abilities. Scott brings scoring abilities and great mentality. He has United in all his veins.

So when they bring up the subject, 'No'. And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed," Ten Hag said.

The former Ajax manager also challenged the timing of his dismissal, arguing that United's performances showed signs of improvement despite heavy home defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. He believed the team remained committed to his methods and was still competing in multiple cup competitions.

"I think it was quite weird to separate ways in that moment. All the data was showing we are good. OK, two poor games to Liverpool and Spurs (both 3-0 home defeats).

We were starting the process. Let it progress; the gameplay is getting better," Ten Hag said.

He also questioned whether the club's decision had already been settled before his final match, a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.

"Maybe they can say differently, but I see on the pitch, and every game they fought. Also, my last game, that was probably one of our best games, we should have won against West Ham. But I'm sure the process was already ongoing; there were already people — maybe even in the team — who knew what would happen the day after," he said.

Ten Hag, who now serves as technical director at FC Twente, also criticized what he described as a culture in which players had excessive influence over club decisions. He discussed Marcus Rashford, whose performances under his management included 42 goals and 21 assists in 113 appearances across all competitions.

"Rashford is an amazing player, if his mindset is right. I always showed my trust in him, played him. But when you show these standards, sometimes you have to make corrections," Ten Hag said.

The Dutchman defended his preference for strengthening United with established international talent. He said he had pushed for Rice while the midfielder was at West Ham United, before Arsenal signed him in 2023 for a reported total fee of £105 million.

"The issue was that West Ham didn't want to let him go. I think we could have done more to test. We were on one page, they tried, but I don't know how the process went. The point is, at United you need outstanding players," Ten Hag said.

He also revealed that he wanted United to pursue Kane before the England captain left Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich. Ten Hag said he had identified Kane as his preferred signing but lacked insight into the club's final financial and recruitment decisions.

Despite his criticism, Ten Hag said he remained attached to United and opposed dismissing Michael Carrick simply because of difficult results. He argued that the club needed competent leadership, a clear strategy, suitable structures, and sufficient time to build a successful team.