It was the move everyone saw coming.

Manchester United's woeful start to the season - 14th in the Premier League after the nine games and 21st in the Europa League after three games - is nowhere near good enough for a club of such magnitude and the regular poor showings meant Erik ten Hag was always on borrowed time.

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Now in the wake of the Dutchman sacking, the finger pointing has truly begun.

Is it all ten Hag's fault? Is it the players fault? It is the owners fault?

Everyone at Old Trafford has been in the firing line since ten Hag was given his marching orders on Monday.

'DEAD MAN WALKING': Man Utd sack manager Erik ten Hag after club's 35-year Premier League worst

Controversial VAR penalty hands WHU win | 01:18

Many former Manchester United stars have come out to express their displeasure with what has been going on at their old club.

One-time defender, not Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, suggested that Australian manager Ange Postecoglou architecting a memorable 3-0 win for Tottenham at Old Trafford last month got the ball rolling on sacking ten Hag.

"I suspect the Tottenham game was probably a catalyst for them to start thinking about a new manager," Neville said.

"You look at who is available then you try to think of the timing. You are half hoping the manager can turn it around but, 99 times out of 100, the tide is against you and continues to do so.

"Looking at that Tottenham game a few weeks ago I felt I had seen this before. It was a bad day for Manchester United and a bad day for Erik ten Hag.

"It's got worse from then. On Sunday the missed chances were unacceptable, they should have been two or three up at half-time.

"Overall, the challenges of the results and performances have meant that the owners have decided to sack him. I don't think anybody will be truly shocked."

Mourinho red carded in duel with Man U | 02:56

Digging deeper into the causes of the Red Devils woes, Neville believes that the ten Hag era will be defined by the lack of a signature style of play.

Sir Alex Ferguson built a cultural at Old Trafford that Manchester United teams would be tight defensively but electric in attack, ten Hag's teams did not have those traits.

"I think the lack of identity and style is something that has been a mystery for the last two-and-a-half seasons," Neville said.

"The recruitment has been awful at times but I believe there are a group of players who can play better than they are.

"Lack of style has been the biggest problem. It is a real struggle watching them play and it hasn't changed in the last 18 months. That has been as bad as the results."

Legendary goal scorer Alan Shearer meanwhile placed blame on the club's ownership - in particular co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

United won the FA Cup final against fierce rivals Manchester City and the unexpected silverware saved ten Hag for the short term, but the club already had plans to move him.

"We were just waiting for it to happen. Even the way he was talking that 'we're all on the same page'," Shearer said.

"Well, they weren't really on the same page because everyone knew they were talking to managers in the summer.

"If they're on the same page why on earth are they speaking to managers in the summer? As soon as that came out we all said he was a dead man walking, unfortunately.

"For them then to give him a new contract after that was bizarre really, and to back him with PS200 million, and in nearly four months they've sacked him. Bizarre."

Postecoglou: 'Why would I be happy?' | 01:00

Things have clearly gone from bad to worse in recent months for ten Hag.

There was the thrashing by Tottenham at home, which followed Liverpool belting them 3-0 at Old Trafford as well, then three painstaking Europa League draws were thrown in before the 2-1 loss at West Ham on Sunday was the final nail in the coffin.

United missed chances at an open goal at London Stadium and their poor finishing came back to bite as they conceded a controversial stoppage time penalty via VAR which Jarred Bowen sent into the back of the net for the winner.

For former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, it was painful to watch and he likened it to seeing a boxer being pommeled by their opponent in the ring.

"It was like a boxer getting hit and knocked down in the third round and never recovering and getting knocked out, knocked down, every single round on the way to the 12th round," Ferdinand said.

Spurs rollercoaster season continues | 01:03

More than a decade since he ended his 27-year rein as Manchester United boss, the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson still looms large at Old Trafford.

After nearly three decades of stability, ten Hag's replacement - United goal scoring great Ruud van Nistelrooy - will be the ninth person to take charge since Ferguson's departure.

The fact no manager has worked out in the last 11 years leads many United fans to argue that the position is impossible because no one could ever replicate Ferguson's success.

But writing for the UK Telegraph, Liverpool legend turned pundit Jamie Carragher shut down that premise.

"Some are suggesting Manchester United has become an impossible job since Sir Alex Ferguson left, with so many well respected managers struggling and being sacked. Nonsense," Carragher said.

"For the majority of Ten Hag's reign, no Premier League manager had so much backing, so much control over transfers and so much patience to prove he was the right man. Most coaches in world football could only dream of such support. Ultimately, he failed to make the most of one of the most attractive posts in football."

Salah strikes for late draw v Arsenal | 01:17

Carragher continued to also blame the club's management for not acting swift enough at the end of last season.

"They have wasted three months and PS200 million on new players by giving Ten Hag a fresh opportunity. Their biggest lesson might be to act sooner the next time a coach is on a downward spiral," he said.

"No one will argue against the view the club should have been run much better since Ferguson retired - that is why Ineos wanted to take over - but the reason United have been mismanaged is because a series of coaches have been overindulged, squandering millions on poor signings.

"The lack of judgment at boardroom level has helped managers, not hindered them. They have been able to sink or swim with their own decisions with regard to football matters, paying the price for their own mistakes. Ten Hag is a prime example."

Many of signings during the ten Hag era came with huge price tags and have massively under delivered.

Brazilian Antony was one of his worst signings.

Brentford and Ipswich play out thriller | 01:44

United paid PS85 million for the former Ajax winger - making him the second richest signing in club history - yet he has only played once this season and it was against league one side Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

Midfielder Mason Mount has not worked out after they splashed PS60 million on him, striker Joshua Zirkzee - who was bought for PS36.5 million - has scored once in 13 games, and defender Matthijs de Ligt has struggled after he was signed from Bayern Munich for PS42 million.

Add PS70 million for Brazilian midfielder Casemiro and it make for even more dire reading.

That is why former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes the players must take responsibility too.

"In good teams, coaches hold players responsible. In great teams, players hold players accountable," he said.