Man Utd duo axed by Ruben Amorim were stars Erik ten Hag felt let him down before sacking

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It's been a year to the day since Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United . The decision, made two months into the season, was seen as harsh but necessary, with the Dutchman being shown the door shortly after lifting the FA Cup .

Ruben Amorim , then at Sporting CP, was quickly identified by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos as the ideal replacement for Ten Hag, and they didn't hesitate to fork out £8.3million to trigger his release clause . But the 12 months since haven’t exactly gone according to plan for the Portuguese manager.

Having inherited a squad of players not of his choosing, who struggled to adapt to his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, Amorim's Red Devils ended up in a dismal 15th place in the Premier League last season - the club's worst-ever finish. To add insult to injury, they were also beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham , missing out on a Champions League spot.

The start of the current 2025/26 season had been equally difficult, until recently when United managed back-to-back wins for the first time under Amorim, beating Sunderland and Liverpool , followed by a 4-2 victory over Brighton last Saturday.

Now sitting in sixth place, things might finally be falling into place for the Old Trafford side. A significant part of this turnaround has been Amorim's ruthless approach to his squad, showing the door to those who don't fit his tactical ideas or simply lack the right attitude.

Two such players are Marcus Rashford , on loan at Barcelona since the summer, and Antony, who signed for Real Betis after a successful loan spell there last season. Interestingly, former manager Ten Hag reportedly believed the pair had let him down throughout his tenure.

According to the Daily Star , Ten Hag felt that Rashford, Antony and Casemiro had all underperformed significantly during his tenure, contributing to his eventual downfall.

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Rashford in particular managed to net only once in the league last season under Ten Hag and consistently underperformed at the start of the campaign. The prolonged slump in form of a previously prolific striker left Ten Hag without a reliable goal-scorer, the player having netted 17 times (30 across all competitions) during Ten Hag's inaugural season.

Antony was specifically brought in by Ten Hag for a hefty £86m, with hopes that he would replicate his Ajax performances under the same manager. However, he fell far short of justifying such a price tag, tarnishing Ten Hag's transfer record.

Casemiro also saw a dip in form after an impressive first season at Old Trafford, with his fitness levels dropping and several costly errors not helping Ten Hag's cause.

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Amorim seemed to share Ten Hag's sentiments, having frozen out Rashford less than two months into his tenure and loaning both him and Antony out in January. Of the trio, only Casemiro remains in the picture.

Despite being in the twilight of his career at 33, Casemiro remains a dedicated professional, making significant contributions to United's campaign last season. The Brazilian midfielder was instrumental in the latter stages of the Europa League, scoring vital goals.

The Brazilian midfielder also played the majority of minutes in United’s last three Premier League matches, which all ended in wins, scoring and assisting against Brighton. Unlike the aforementioned duo, the five-time Champions League winner still has the chance to play a key role in United’s potential resurgence under Amorim.

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