The Guardian Column: Manchester United’s Brand Value on the Brink of Extinction, Ten Hag’s Dismissal a Severe Blow to Ineos

With Erik ten Hag being shown the door by Manchester United, The Guardian has published a column highlighting the severe damage to the club’s brand value and the heavy blow to Ineos Group’s “trust” in Ten Hag.

Ten Hag finally received his final verdict from the club on Monday. But is this the worst sacking in Manchester United’s history? Not quite. After all, the Dutchman helped the team win two trophies during his tenure.

Setting aside the matter of Ten Hag for now, the impact on Manchester United’s value over the past period has been devastating. Especially for Ineos Group, which has just taken over the club, this transitional management experience has left them feeling battered and bruised. Despite spending £600 million on transfers, what has been the result? No one has improved, the goals are unclear, the team is fragmented, and it appears completely incapable of handling complex tasks. Ten Hag could only repeatedly complain about unfair refereeing decisions in the media. The outcome shows that all the money has merely made an average team even more inept.

In terms of football operations and related matters, Ineos is still quite young. To date, they have only hired a few people who look confident and well-dressed, but a steady stream of mediocrity has followed. Now, a critical moment has arrived for Ineos. Manchester United really cannot continue like this anymore; the brand is on the brink of extinction.

There are many potential targets ahead. Amorim seems to be a suitable choice. He is rising, hardworking, willing to take on responsibilities, and has enough willpower and energy to carry the club’s vision.

The slow demise of the Ten Hag era conveys one message: Manchester United missed a chance for revival and will ultimately face a step-change. The club is already outside the elite circle; don’t dwell on this point. From now on, the most important thing is to win matches.