Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham United spelled the end for Erik ten Hag, just months after Ineos backed the Dutchman.

United lost in controversial circumstances as a dubious late penalty gave West Ham victory.

However, that didn’t buy Ten Hag any more time as Ineos decided to swing the ax on Monday morning.

Ten Hag has moved on after more than years at United and it is a decision that many believe should have been made at the end of last season.

Gary Neville is “shocked” by Erik ten Hag’s decision

Ten Hag leaves United in 14th place in the Premier League table and has been winless in three Europa League games.

That’s just not good enough and Gary Neville has given his verdict on his dismissal.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville admitted he was “shocked” to see Christian Eriksen and Casemiro in midfield against West Ham United.

Summer signing Manuel Ugarte was benched at the London Stadium and Neville was at a loss.

Neville feels that while Ugarte hasn’t shone so far, he should be the heir to Casemiro – and not sit on the bench behind him.

Neville added that he would “ask questions” of Ten Hag if he were United’s owner, as Ineos topped up £42.2m to £50m to sign Ugarte on deadline day.

“Yesterday I was shocked to see Eriksen and Casemiro in central midfield and Ugarte on the bench,” Neville said.

“Ugarte was brought in to replace Casemiro and obviously didn’t start particularly well, but I think when I look at things like that I would think, ‘Wait a minute, those two in midfield are it.’ As you get older and you have a boy who was hired for about £40 million and has legs, I would ask questions about that as an owner,” he added.

Missed opportunity for Ugarte momentum

Ugarte’s start to life at Old Trafford wasn’t exactly perfect.

The Uruguayan struggled against Tottenham Hotspur and has not been able to secure a starting role so far.

However, Ugarte impressed against Fenerbahce on Thursday night, with Paul Scholes suggesting he enjoyed his best performance in a United shirt.

The natural inclination after that performance would have been for Ugarte to start against West Ham and try to build some momentum in a United shirt.

Instead, Ten Hag left Ugarte on the bench, and in the process will certainly have frustrated the former Paris Saint-Germain star.

United’s next manager must look to get the best out of Ugarte after such a significant investment – and make him an important part of United’s midfield for years to come.

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