“Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager,” the Premier League team announced in a statement on Monday, after finding itself 14th in the standings after nine games.

“Until a permanent head coach is found, Ruud van Nistelrooy will lead the team as interim head coach with assistance from the current coaching staff.”

As United finished seventh in the Premier League last season, there was much conjecture about the 54-year-old Dutchman’s future.

In order to maintain continuity in the manager’s role during a period of transition, the club initially retained Ten Hag after British billionaire and INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe took over football operations last season. However, United failed to see enough improvement or momentum to feel that they were headed in the right direction.

United also drew their first three Europa League games from winning positions due to a terrible start to the season.

Ten Hag’s team missed a lot of opportunities in Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League loss to West Ham United, which only fueled media rumors that he would be fired.

Ten Hag attributed United’s poor performance on the team’s multiple ailments, even though United surprised Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season.

In order to prolong his tenure until 2026 and have another opportunity to return the 20-time English League champions to their previous glory, he signed a new deal.

But since Ten Hag took over, there hasn’t been much cause for hope, as United’s ClubElo rating fell to its lowest point in the post-Ferguson era. There have occasionally been signs of recuperation, but not nearly enough to sustain over time.

Comparisons to the heyday are unavoidable, but the magnitude of the problems only becomes apparent when you plot United’s output with time.