So Erik ten Hag has gone. The big question is, how did he manage to stick around for so long?

It's telling that after Manchester United's decision was announced on Monday, there were countless heartbroken supporters sharing tributes on social media. What was even more telling was the fact that most of them weren't United fans.

Put simply and brutally, the Old Trafford club - once the dominant force in the Premier League - has become a laughing stock. Having had to put up with unbearable United supporters during those years under Sir Alex Ferguson, Liverpool fans are rightfully enjoying the current mess on show down the M62.

The two clubs could not be further apart right now, and the difference has been no more apparent than in their most recent managerial appointments.

Ten Hag seemed a sensible enough appointment back in 2022. He'd enjoyed unrivaled success in the Netherlands with Ajax, and had re-established the club on the European stage. From the moment he sat down for his first press conference though, there were signs that his hiring hadn't been thought out.

Asked about his style upon his unveiling, Ten Hag said: "Maybe you have seen Ajax? And I like that. But it is always players who dictate the way of play.

"I have the ideal, I will line up my best team, and I will line up my players like that to get the best out of them. That they can go to the maximum, that they feel comfortable in the role and in the end it's about getting the success together."

That might seem like a standard enough comment to make from a new manager, but looking back now, it perhaps should have been the first warning sign for United. Ten Hag decided his style would be dictated by his players, and that has proven to be a disastrous approach.

Compare that to Liverpool's appointment of Arne Slot, a decision that was thought out in order to make it an easy transition from Jurgen Klopp, and one that would fit in perfectly with the club's values. The Reds passed on the likes of Ruben Amorim to land on Slot, who wasn't the first name on most people's lips, but has proven to be an inspired hire since.

"We were all inspired by Guardiola and Klopp and I think at a big club, which I worked in in Feyenoord as well, it is probably the only style you can play - to have the ball a lot, to have a lot of energy, and I think also now there are comparisons between the club I left behind and the club I am going to work for now.

"Both [sets of] fans love to see a team that wants to do everything to win a game and if things are tough they try to do everything to turn the game around and I think that has been done by Liverpool many times and I think that has been done by my former side Feyenoord many times as well."

This was a man who clearly knew how he would be going about his job, and it has shown in the last few months. 11 wins from 13 games, and he has even improved Liverpool in some areas, with the Reds boasting the meanest defense in the Premier League so far.

Ten Hag, on the other hand, looked clueless throughout his time at Old Trafford. Even after getting the signings he wanted, with millions splashed out on the likes of Andre Onana, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Antony from his days at Ajax, there was still no sign of any clear plan.

And that must surely be a worry for United fans now. Where Liverpool had a blueprint to identify the ideal man to take over from their most successful manager in decades, Ten Hag has left nothing but a mess, and while Ruben Amorim looks to be closing in on the job, it's impossible to say whether he really is the best fit at Old Trafford.

No matter how many appointments Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes behind the scenes, and however good a manager Amorim is, the Portuguese is going to struggle to make sense of what is currently in place. Liverpool fans might be left laughing for a while longer.