Chris Sutton
BBC Sport pundit on BBC Radio 5 Live

I don't think anyone of us are shocked. He overachieved in his first season, underachieved massively in the second. They went backwards, spent a fortune and it hasn't got any better.

It is quite embarrassing for Ineos. They were actively looking for a manager over the summer but decided Erik will do because he won the FA Cup. That game kept him in a job.

The question is can you trust Ineo's thought process going forward to appoint a successor? It is a hell of a mess the next manager is walking in to.

Peter Schmeichel
Former Manchester United goalkeeper on the Monday Night Club

I think it was inevitable. I think that 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the end of last season would be the end of Erik ten Hag. They were out there speaking to everybody in order to try and replace him. They were speaking to other managers and not keeping it a secret. He played his hand really well by getting another contract.

The person they really wanted in the summer, they couldn't get, I think that person would have been Thomas Tuchel. I'm disappointed he's now with England, he would've been fantastic for the club. For whatever reason, he made himself not available.

The club gave Ten Hag a new contract and said they would back him. From finishing eighth last season, that progress has not materialised. It's difficult to see what style the team are playing.

At the end of the day, it was inevitable. I'm confused about the timing, you'd think at least give someone the international break to get to Carrington and get into it.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter on Football Daily

I think it would be a tough sell for Gareth Southgate. I think it would be less of a tough sell for Thomas Frank, I think that’s the reality. Xavi, I don’t know. Edin Terzic is unemployed, he was also at the ECA meeting, I’m not entirely sure of what he’s thought about what his future is.

He took Dortmund to the final of the Champions League last season. I think the problem is there is peril everywhere. You talk about Van Nistelrooy, United have got four home games now, what happens if he wins all four home games? It’s difficult to say. We’ve been down this road before, it’s very, very difficult the situation Manchester United find themselves in.

Also, Jurgen Klopp, went to Liverpool after building Borussia Dortmund and Mainz. Pep Guardiola went to Manchester City after building Bayern, after building Barcelona. Where are the managers who build now?

The Monday Night Club is about to get under way on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton and ESPN's Mark Ogden are among the guests, with the sacking of Erik ten Hag at the top of the agenda.

To listen along live, simply click the top of this page. You can also watch live on the BBC Sport website and on BBC iPlayer.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter on Football Daily

I can’t put my mind in the head of Dan Ashworth, who I thought is going to have a major say here. It was mentioned to me on numerous occasions that Gareth Southgate was probably the most likely INEOS person, but then, I was at the European Clubs’ Assocation annual meeting and he spoke there and he said he’s got no intention of coming back to the game. You can only take him on his word at that.

I think Thomas Frank is an interesting one and he’s one of the people that I was told that he was one of the people Manchester United spoke to around the FA Cup final. The one caveat I would put with Frank is does he really want that kind of glare?

Just over a week ago Manchester United played Brentford, I think it was really interesting that Thomas Frank was making loads and loads and loads of notes on a pad as the game is going on and he throws the pad down and he picks the pad up. It seems like nothing, but I can guarantee if he does that for Manchester United and he loses games, he will be picked up upon as a kind of weakness.

It’s irrelevant really, but that’s the kind of scrutiny that managers of Manchester United are under.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Football journalist and editor of the “United We Stand” fanzine Andy Mitten says Erik ten Hag had a good start but the jigsaw didn't come together: "It hasn't been good this season. Four wins out of 14, we're a team that is struggling to score. We saw that at West Ham yesterday in the first half where Manchester United played very well and created a lot of chances but couldn't put them away, and ended up losing the game.

"It was partially because of a controversial VAR referring decision but it hasn't been good enough. Not in the Premier League or in the Europa League, where Man United have drawn all three matches, and an eighth place first last season wasn't good enough either.

"But that FA Cup win last season was one of the most important wins in the post-Ferguson Manchester United history and Erik ten Hag did win the first trophy for United since 2017.

"Six months in I really thought that he was onto something. The football was good, United knocked Barcelona out of Europe. It looked like a jigsaw coming together but it didn't."

Robbie Savage
FA Youth Cup winner with Manchester United on Football Daily Podcast

You are looking at that Manchester United team now and who is actually better and the players who have been bought in, has their resalable value gone up? I would say hardly any.

Marcus Rashford obviously would go for a fee coming through the academy as a player they could see for a profit. Kobbie Mainoo, another one. These are players that are coming through the ranks though.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter on Football Daily

Image source, Getty Images

Marcus Rashford had the best season of his career goalscoring wise in Erik ten Hag’s first season, so he can do it. I was speaking to someone last night and Ten Hag has made the point this season, the problem has been scoring goals, but the only player who has ever scored anything like a regular amount of goals at any level is Marcus Rashford.

Now, you might argue that Rasmus Hojlund is a player of promise, but he’s never scored goals regularly. You might argue that Alejandro Garnacho has a lot of ability, but he’s a young player and he doesn’t score a lot of goals. Amad Diallo, is he good enough? Not quite sure. So somehow, who is going to score the goals? It’s got to be Marcus Rashford, so then you’ve got to create a system almost that will get the best out of Marcus Rashford, but I don’t know whether that has happened, I don’t know whether Rashford has responded to that, but if you take Marcus Rashford out of that situation, I don’t know where Manchester United score goals.

I take the point about Bruno Fernandes, but I almost felt last season that Fernandes was one of the problems because you struggle with a structure with Fernandes because I’d regard him as a loose player, chasing the ball in a situation, it would break your kind of press or he’ll drop deep and play a really long pass that’s not where all the players are kind of stationed to make the most of.

I think he’s a brilliant player, but almost, one of the best things Ten Hag did in the cup final was play Fernandes as a false nine because then, he can move about the pitch but somehow, you have to come up with a way of getting the most out of the people who are going to be the most productive and to me, the only player you can rely on to score goals is Marcus Rashford.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Manchester United podcaster Joe Smith from the Stretford Paddock speaking about the club having an 'identity crisis': "I think that there has been a style of play and I think that it has definitely been different to what we have seen under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for example. It might not be as defined or as rigid as Pep Guardiola for instance but United play a high line with pressing football. They pressed more under Ten Hag than they did under any other manager that I watched, so I do think there is a structure and ideas there but it's not worked.

"It's easy to pull things apart when you are losing games because people can align a lack of identity with a lack of results but I do think we have an identity, it's just not winning us games."

Manchester United struggled to both create chances and convert them under Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag's side scored 123 goals, ranking them 10th among the 17 ever-present Premier League clubs since the beginning of the 2022-23 season.

United underperformed their expected goals (xG) rating by 18 goals; they should have scored 140.9 goals, based on the quality of the chances they created.

Data suggests seven Premier League sides would have scored more than the Red Devils during Ten Hag's tenure.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Joe Smith from the Stretford Paddock says Manchester United need a long term solution: "I think the problem with proven managers is that they seem to be short term, because to be proven across multiple clubs you can't of stuck around the ten years really," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"So you end up getting people who are expected to win the big trophies in their first or second season.

"United's squad isn't ready to do that. You could bring in a prime Jose Mourinho tomorrow and he wouldn't win you the league next season. I also feel as if you need to bring in someone who can grow, evolve and take up the mantle of a top manager over the next two or three seasons. Someone who next season if we don't win the league everybody isn't going to be, oh no you're going to leave."

It's fair to say that under Erik ten Hag, United's defence were bailed out by goalkeepers and poor finishing.

Manchester United conceded 112 goals in the Premier League under Ten Hag; only Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle conceded fewer.

However, United were expected to concede 24 more goals than they actually did. Their xG against rating of 136.1 is the 13th best of the 17 ever-present Premier League clubs since the start of 2022-23.

This suggests that United's defence was worse than it appeared.

Robbie Savage
FA Youth Cup winner with Manchester United on Football Daily Podcast

Manuel Ugarte has not been allowed to look particularly brilliant because against Fenerbahce, he was involved in a goal, he won the ball when they scored and then he did an unbelievable block. He needs momentum, he needs games.

Again, it comes down to recruitment. If you’re looking at that midfield area, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, anybody with a bit of mobility in there will really hurt Manchester United. You look at the defensive structure, Noussair Mazraoui playing as a No.10, everybody’s eyebrows were raised, but I think the last time Mazraoui played in the centre of the pitch was in 2019 for Ajax and he got taken off at half-time.

They didn’t lose that game and the argument is they went to Fenerbahce and they drew, but it was a Fenerbahce team with players who were playing in the Premier League who were getting nowhere near the top six sides. Went to Porto, their record in Europe one win in 11 I think in all competitions I think, they are miles off it.

It all comes down to recruitment. They are 14th and the philosophy of that team is miles off.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United have spent £551.3 million on transfers since Erik ten Hag was appointed manager in April 2022. Chelsea are the only Premier League team to spend more during that period with an outlay of £1.158 billion.

Despite being the second-highest spenders, United only won the fifth-most points (146) during that time.

United's net spend under Ten Hag was £399.6m, also the second highest in the Premier League.

The most expensive signings of the Ten Hag era were Antony (£82m), Rasmus Hojlund (£72m) and Casemiro (£70m).