Erik ten Hag dismissed by Bayer Leverkusen after just two games in charge

The 55-year-old was appointed on a two-year deal by the German club in May, replacing Xabi Alonso after the Spaniard left for Real Madrid. His sacking sets a new League record, making it the fastest in Bundesliga history, surpassing the previous record of five matches.

Leverkusen have amassed just one point from their opening two league fixtures and sit 12th in the Bundesliga table. They squandered a 1–0 lead to lose 2–1 at home to Hoffenheim, before conceding two late goals against 10-man Werder Bremen in a dramatic 3–3 draw on Saturday.

Ten Hag's only competitive win for the club came in the German Cup on 15 August when they defeated fourth-tier Sonnenhof Grossaspach 4–0. He becomes the third former United boss sacked within a week, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal at Besiktas on Thursday and Jose Mourinho’s exit from Fenerbahce on Friday.

“This decision was not an easy one for us,” Leverkusen managing director Simon Rofles said. “Nobody wanted to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.”

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro added: “A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary. We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season, and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team. Now it's a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again.”