Everton boss Sean Dyche didn’t hold back when asked about Ten Hag’s dismissal and has taken a subtle dig at Erik ten Hag days after Manchester United confirmed he had been sacked.
United’s loss to West Ham at the London stadium on Sunday was the final straw for the club’stop hierachy, who confirmed they had sacked Ten Hag the following morning.
The Dutchman had spent over two years in charge at United but the 2024/25 season kicked off to a lame start, leading the side to only three wins in nine Premier League matches.
And in the wake of the announcement, other managers in the Premier League have started to make the feelings towards the Dutch manager known, and Everton boss Dyche appears to have aimed a subtle dig at his former rival.
Voicing his thoughts ahead of Everton’s Premier League match against Southampton this weekend, Dyche suggested that the ex-United manager had been given plenty of time to get the team performing better.
He said: “Firstly nobody wants to see managers get the sack but eventually that’s the nature of the business and we all understand it.
“Results hadn’t gone to their liking and Manchester United have a high demand. The only thing I would say is that there has been a fair time scale and resources available for such a highly regarded manager to get a grip on what it is.
“It’s hard though, it’s hard at any level. You’ve got to win games and eventually that’s what you get judged on but I wish him well – I’m sure there will be something else big for him.”
As it stands, United are 14th in the Premier League table, just two points ahead of Everton, who they finished seven places higher than last season.
On Thursday, West Ham manager manager Julien Lopetegui also discussed the dismissal of Ten Hag just four days after sealing the latter’s fate by leading his side to a 2-1 victory over United.
“I wish the best for him,” said the Spaniard.
“He did very good work and he’s a very good coach. I understand these kind of moments. I’m sure that very soon he is going to be working again, for sure.”