Ange Postecoglou has admitted he was not shocked by Manchester United’s sacking of Erik ten Hag in a blunt verdict. Postecoglou's Tottenham side inflicted a shattering 3-0 defeat of the Red Devils earlier this month, with Ten Hag dismissed a little over three weeks later.
The Australian has admitted that the harsh "nature of football" means he is no longer shocked when managers lose their jobs. Ten Hag was dismissed following a torrid start to the season - both in the Premier League and in the Europa League.
Asked if he was surprised that United let go of the Dutchman, Postecoglou responded: "No not really shocked. It's the nature of football these days."
United sacked Ten Hag on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after he oversaw a 2-1 defeat against West Ham. Other losses against Spurs, Brighton and Liverpool had all but sealed his fate. Ruud van Nistelrooy, appointed as assistant to Ten Hag in the summer, will take charge of their game against Leicester on Wednesday.
Old Trafford chiefs are widely expected to commence advanced talks with Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese coach has earned a reputation as one of Europe's brightest tactical minds.
If appointed before the weekend, Amorim could face a crunch face game against Chelsea at Old Trafford. The 39-year-old will also need to see a major improve in Europe, where United have drawn all three of their matches in the Europa League league phase.
Meanwhile, Postecoglou is having a tough time of his own. Inconsistent form has seen Spurs thrash Man Utd and West Ham recently, but there have been underwhelming performances in defeats against Brighton and Crystal Palace.
Son Heung-min missed Sunday’s 1-0 defeat against Palace with a thigh injury. The Spurs captain will likely miss tomorrow’s crunch League Cup clash with Manchester City.
However, Postecoglou expects Son to return for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa. The 59-year-old said: “Son is almost fit but probably from our perspective we'll aim for the weekend.”
However, news is less positive for summer signing Wilson Odobert, who has suffered a "serious" setback in his return from a hamstring injury.
"The only other one missing out which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson, who has had a setback during the week and it seems like it is a serious one so we're just waiting for more information," Postecoglou added. "From the weekend everybody is back and Djed [Spence is] training."