“Not good news…” Premier League manager reacts to Manchester United sacking Erik ten Hag

Unai Emery has reacted to Manchester United’s sacking of Erik ten Hag, explaining that it’s not good news for other Premier League managers.

Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag following a string of poor performances and losses at the beginning of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

The club currently sit 14th in the Premier League table and are yet to win in the Europa League, causing the leadership teams to take drastic measures.

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While Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge of the club’s 5-2 win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup and will remain in charge against Chelsea, PAOK, and Leicester again, this is only on an interim basis.

United announced on Friday that they had appointed Rúben Amorim as the team’s new head coach and that the Portuguese boss will start at the club on 11 November, at the beginning of the next international break.

Unai Emery reacts to Ten Hag’s sacking

Many Premier League managers have been asked for comments on Amorim’s pending arrival, with Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola welcoming him to the Premier League.

However, when Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was asked for his opinion on the appointment, he explained that Ten Hag’s sacking was “not good news” for other managers and that he was “sad” to see a colleague go.

This is partly because Emery has a similar experience, having been sacked from Arsenal in November 2019 due to a poor start to the season.

“Firstly, when I arrived here, my first message to the players was, I was sad,” Emery explained in a press conference this week. “Because, when one coach is sacked, it’s not good news for us, and for me as a coach.

“And I think it’s the same now in Manchester United with the sacking of Ten Hag. It’s not good news, but of course the football is like that. And you have to accept as a coach when it’s coming like that.”

Amorim deserves it

However, when focusing on Amorim, Emery was more light-hearted, explaining that he feels the Portuguese coach deserves his move to Manchester United.

“I know something about Rúben Amorim because we play sometimes in front. And I think he’s doing very good work in Portugal, in Sporting Lisbon. And if Manchester United decided to appoint him, I think it’s because he deserves it.”

Amorim’s first game in charge will be against Ipswich Town, away from home, on 24 November.

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