MANCHESTER UNITED fans have slammed Ineos’ decision to “sack” Sir Alex Ferguson before under-fire boss Erik ten Hag.
Ferguson’s multi-million pound salary has been ended by the new Ineos regime who are devoted to cutting costs amid high losses.
Just five months after retiring in 2013, Ferguson signed a deal to become a global ambassador worth £2.16m per year.
But now that decade-long contract has been torn up by Sir Jim Ratcliffe as Ferguson steps away from several time-consuming ambassadorial duties.
It is claimed Ratcliffe met with the legendary boss in person to inform him that he will no longer receive his seven-figure salary.
Fergie, 82, is understood to have received the decision amicably and with no ill feeling.
But United fans haven’t been so calm about it.
A group of supporters who want Ten Hag sacked have launched scathing attacks on the decision to “axe” Fergie before the Dutchman.
Taking to X, one raging fan wrote: “I can’t believe they’ve sacked Sir Alex Ferguson before Ten Hag.”
While another said: “Everything great about Man Utd is because of Sir Alex Ferguson. He deserves to be paid for every breath he takes.
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A third added: “This is just plain stupid and disrespectful. The greatest manager in Prem history and they can’t be bothered with it.”
A fourth replied: “Obviously he won’t starve but pretty disgusting he’s literally bigger than the club.”
Before another rival fan doubled down: “Did they really just sack Fergie before Ten Hag 
?”
One more wrote: “What???? That’s very disrespectful to Sir Alex!”
Ten Hag returned to Carrington on Monday to prepare for Saturday’s Premier League game against Brentford at Old Trafford.
After that, it is a Europa League trip to a Fenerbahce side managed by former United boss Jose Mourinho, with many fans believing the Dutchman could lose his job after that.
There’s been huge speculation about his future after United recorded their worst ever Prem start, before chiefs held a seven-hour board meeting in central London last Tuesday.
Ferguson, who turns 83 in December, will not receive payments from the club beyond the end of the season.
The former Aberdeen manager was earning more than five members of Erik ten Hag’s squad, as per Capology.
Among them were Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and reserve keeper Altay Bayindir.
Fergie still act as a non-executive member of the board and will always be welcome at matches, after most recently attending Ten Hag’s 0-0 crunch clash away at Aston Villa.
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THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
