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How does the bigger picture look for Ten Hag?

The surprising Premier League table over the course of Ten Hag’s Man Utd reign

Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag after a poor start to the 2024-25 campaign – but how does the Dutchman’s tenure look when you view it through a wider lens?

So far this season, Manchester United are by some distance the Premier League’s worst underperformers when you compare every club’s total squad cost in transfer fees and wage bill to their position in the league table.

But in terms of the Red Devils’ overall league performance over the course of two and a bit seasons, Ten Hag’s record is actually a bit better than you might expect.

They’re only just outside the top four – although it is worth noting that they’re behind an Aston Villa side that have invested considerably less when it comes to transfers and wages.

Over the course of his full reign, United have picked up more points than Newcastle, Chelsea and Tottenham – although that also says a lot about their up-and-down inconsistencies over the same period.

There’s a considerable gap behind the top three, but perhaps the most telling statistic is United’s goal difference. They’ve registered just +11 over the 85 league matches that Ten Hag has taken charge of, compared to +134 for Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Manchester City, +114 for Arsenal and +85 for Liverpool. It’s also considerably worse than Newcastle’s (+54), Tottenham’s (+27) and Villa’s (+25) as well as Brighton (+13).

Ten Hag has defended himself by delivering two pieces of silverware in two seasons, but there’s no ignoring the direction of travel in terms of league results and performances.

In the former Ajax coach’s debut season at Old Trafford, they comfortably qualified for the Champions League and finished above Liverpool by averaging 1.97 points over the full campaign.

But last season that average dropped to 1.57 points per game as they endured their lowest-ever Premier League placing of eighth. And things have got even worse in the early months of 2024-25, with United languishing in 14th after picking up just 11 points from nine games – 1.22 per game, raising serious questions over the new club hierarchy’s decision to offer him an extended contract in the summer.


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We’ve taken a step back from the noise to compile the Premier League table since the Dutchman’s first match since being appointed United boss.

Note: all teams have played 85 games. Only teams that have been in the Premier League throughout Ten Hag’s reign at Manchester United have been included.

1. Manchester City – 203 points, GD +134
2. Arsenal – 196 points, GD +114
3. Liverpool – 178 points, GD +85
4. Aston Villa – 147 points, GD +25
5. Manchester United – 146 points, GD +11
6. Newcastle United – 143 points, GD +57
7. Tottenham – 139 points, GD +28
8. Brighton – 126 points, GD +16
9. Chelsea – 124 points, GD +13
10. Brentford – 111 points, GD +3
11. Fulham – 111 points, GD -4
12. West Ham United – 103 points, GD -31
13. Crystal Palace – 100 points, GD -4
14. Bournemouth – 99 points, GD -47
15. Everton – 93 points, GD -40
16. Nottingham Forest – 90 points, GD -44
17. Wolves – 89 points, GD -55