Bayer Leverkusen Delivers Shocking Blow to Erik ten Hag, Axing Ex-Man Utd Boss After Lightning-Fast Three-Game Stint

Bayer Leverkusen has dismissed Erik ten Hag following merely three official matches in charge, the German club has announced.

Ten Hag had only arrived at Leverkusen during the summer transfer window to replace current Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, signaling his comeback to coaching half a year after being let go from his role at Manchester United.

However, his tenure began catastrophically when Ten Hag's Leverkusen suffered a humiliating 5–1 loss against Flamengo's youth team in his debut friendly match.

An inconsistent preparation period preceded a disappointing beginning to official competition. While beating lower-division Sonnenhof Großaspach in the DFB-Pokal provided little comfort, subsequent results included a 2–1 loss to Hoffenheim and a 3–3 stalemate with Werder Bremen, where Ten Hag's team surrendered advantages in both encounters.

Reports quickly surfaced that Ten Hag's managerial position was under serious threat, with club leadership allegedly questioning the Dutch coach's capability to manage what had become a major reconstruction following the exits of Alonso, Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka, plus several others. The Bundesliga outfit ultimately chose to terminate the Dutchman's contract on Monday.

"Bayer 04 has terminated the contract of head coach Erik ten Hag effective immediately," a brief announcement stated. "The assistant coaching team will assume training responsibilities on an interim basis."

Ten Hag's exit follows a disastrous final match where his squad publicly disputed penalty responsibilities while surrendering a two-goal advantage during the closing 15 minutes. Per SPORT BILD, this incident represented merely the most recent in an "extensive series of errors" that left Leverkusen's leadership unable to back Ten Hag.

Commenting on Leverkusen's most recent setback, team captain Robert Andrich shared with reporters: "Each player performed individually, everyone wandered the field alone. We have too many squad members focused on other matters or solely on themselves. I'm uncertain if I've witnessed this before at Bayer.

"The catastrophic closing period [of the Bremen draw] symbolized our present circumstances. This isn't related to any instability, player movements or legal matters."