Bayer Leverkusen sack Erik ten Hag after just two league matches

Bayer Leverkusen have sacked former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after just two league games in charge, the Bundesliga club said on Monday.

Leverkusen lost their opening league game against Hoffenheim 2-1 at home and drew 3-3 against 10-man Bremen, which saw Tan Hag’s journey to end at the club.

The Dutchman joined the German club on a two-year contract in May, following Xabi Alonso’s exit, who moved to Real Madrid.

Ten Hag was also sacked by Premier League club Manchester United in October.

Leverkusen Sporting Director Simon Rolfes, in a statement, said that the decision was not an easy one, but the past few weeks have shown that building a new successful team is not possible with this setup.

"This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step," Rolfes said in a statement.

"However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this set-up is not feasible."

His release after just two matches is the quickest in Bundesliga history, as before him the record was five games.

Under Alonso, Leverkusen won the double in the 2023-24 season, winning their first Bundesliga trophy without losing a match, and finished second in the league last campaign.

Following the arrival of Erik ten Hag, players like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah and Amine Adli left for other clubs, which made it difficult for him to lead the side to success.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro said parting ways at this stage is difficult, but the decision was necessary.

"A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary," Carro said.

"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."