Erik ten Hag reportedly considered quitting Manchester United in the summer amid criticism of his performance and speculation that the club were in talks with other managers.
The Dutchman was sacked by Red Devils boss on Monday, finally bringing an end to his two-and-a-half year spell in charge that had been punctuated in its latter months by the near-constant threat of his dismissal.
His position looked untenable ahead of the FA Cup final in May following a disappointing league campaign that saw them finish eighth in the Premier League.
But their shock 2-1 win over Manchester City spared the former Ajax manager for a few more months. However, Ten Hag was only confirmed to be staying after co-owners Ineos had conducted an end-of-season review, which included club chiefs speaking to prospective candidates.
According to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, reports of those meetings, as well as heavy criticism of his performance as United boss made the 45-year-old consider resigning.
They report that Ten Hag only decided to stay during a lengthy summit in Ibiza, where he had jetted off on holiday.
Ten Hag agreed a one-year contract extension with the club following the clear-the-air talks in the summer. That deal would have seen him remain at the helm until 2026.
Ten Hag lifted the lid on his discussions with United and revealed the club had turned up on his doorstep to confirm they wished for him to remain.
'We had a good talk and various topics were discussed and the conclusion was that we will continue with each other but also the conclusion is that we are going to sit down to renew the contract,' he told broadcaster NOS in June.
Unfortunately for Ten Hag, results did not improve this season, leading to the club acting quickly and ending his tenure at Old Trafford. It's understood that the decision by United's leadership team was collective and unanimous, even though sources say it was 'a difficult and finely balanced' one.
That claim is backed up by De Telegraaf, who report that Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe found it difficult to part with the Dutchman, who is well-liked and known to be a hard-working straight-shooter.
Despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his two seasons at Old Trafford, Ten Hag finished eighth in the Premier League last term with a negative goal difference.
He was given the chance to work within a new structure after Omar Berrada was appointed as chief executive in the summer alongside new sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
His backroom staff was also overhauled with Van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake coming in as his assistants to replace Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag. It's believed that the United hierarchy wanted continuity after the period of change but did not see enough evidence of momentum or progress to convince them the team was on the right path.
Ten Hag's assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy has been put in temporary charge, but United swiftly opened talks with Ruben Amorim and Sporting over triggering the £8.5million release clause that would allow him to complete the move to Old Trafford.
