Erik ten Hag is said to have felt let down by three senior players at Manchester United after being sacked by the club.

Erik ten Hag is said to have felt let down by three Manchester United players after his sacking, a new report claims.

Ten Hag’s exit from United was confirmed on Monday morning following on from a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to West Ham United a day prior. The result left United in 14th place, 12 points off the top of the table after nine games.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will step in as interim boss for the Carabao Cup game against Leicester City but reports suggest the club are pressing forward with a pursuit of Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim and want to hire him imminently.

United are said to have an agreement in principle for the Portuguese coach, who has held talks with Liverpool and West Ham in the past.

Ten Hag was in the United hotseat for just over two seasons, winning two trophies and boasting a 54.6% win ratio. But after a promising first season United have been on an almighty decline and it ultimately led to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS parting company with the Dutchman.

Ten Hag constantly stressed that there was a process at United and improvements were being made, and the Daily Star say he felt let down by three of his players.

Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Antony are named as three senior players who Ten Hag was left disappointed with him.

In Ten Hag’s first season, Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions and was one of the most in-form forwards in world football. His level fell off massively last term and he has scored just once so far in the current campaign.

Image: Getty

Casemiro looked to be a shrewd addition at first after signing for £70 million from Real Madrid but he now looks to be coming towards the end of his days at the top level, while Antony, an £86 million capture from Ajax, can be considered one of the worst ever Premier League signings given his poor goal return.

United may well only have to pay Sporting €10 million (£8.3 million) in compensation due to a release clause in Amorim’s deal.

Sporting have issued a statement on United’s pursuit of Amorim, telling Portugal’s financial regulator CMVM: “Manchester United have expressed their interest in recruiting coach Ruben Amorim and have said they are ready to pay the 10 million euro release clause.”