2
Multiple top managers that have been tipped to potentially replace Erik ten Hag and take over the Manchester United hot seat are reportedly reluctant to join the club in its current messy state.
United suffered their 12th Premier League loss of the campaign at the hands of Chelsea on Thursday night.
Ten Hag’s men were ahead 3-2 with 99 minutes and 17 seconds gone, before conceding two Cole Palmer goals in the 100th and 101st minutes. It was the latest a side has ever led in a Premier League match and gone on to lose the match.
Even more worrying for United is that it was the second time in less than a week that the club lost a lead in added time following their 1-1 draw against Brentford last weekend at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The 20-time English champions have had an extremely underwhelming and disappointing campaign which saw them knocked out of the Champions League earlier in the season in humiliating fashion. United were also eliminated from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle.
As it stands, the FA Cup represents the Red Devils’ only chance of lifting some silverware at the end of the season and somewhat restoring some of the pride that has been lost.
It has been suggested that new United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his associates are open to making a managerial change.
It’s believed that INEOS are not very convinced about Ten Hag’s long-term suitability and have taken a dim view of the job the Dutchman has done this term.
So far United have been linked to a number of potential Ten Hag successors including Julian Nagelsmann, Graham Potter, Roberto De Zerbi, Zinedine Zidane, Gareth Southgate, Thomas Frank, Carlo Ancelotti and Ruben Amorim.
Earlier on Friday, Ten Hag received a small boost when a report emerged explaining that he could possibly be in the Old Trafford dugout next season, with a multitude of factors combining to his advantage. It was relayed that club heads believe injuries have kept the team from nailing down a consistent run of results and performances. In addition to this, there is a belief that Ten Hag could perform much better in the presence of a solid structure above him to make the most important and crucial football decisions – almost a similar model to the one he had in Amsterdam with Ajax.
i news have given a slight update on the constantly developing situation and reiterated that United are indeed planning their summer transfer window under the assumption that Ten Hag will still be in charge of the squad.
The news outlet states that this stance is partially being influenced by the fact that there is a lack of viable and interested managerial alternatives.
However, if results for the remaining part of the season don’t improve, a change of guard could be set in motion by INEOS. Pete Hall notes, “Further poor results before the end of what could be a very disappointing season may force the hand of Ratcliffe and his right-hand man, Sir Dave Brailsford.”
“The pair have drawn up a list of possible replacements but several of the top contenders are, multiple sources said, lukewarm about the prospect of taking over at Old Trafford, given the monumental task at hand.”
One source close to the England national team told i news, “Why would Gareth Southgate want to leave the England job for United given the mess they are in?”
“This is potentially the best generation of talent we have ever had, a group Gareth has helped steer through the system. Why not see where that group can go?”
The newspaper further states that Nagelsmann is high on INEOS’ shortlist. The German tactician can apparently be convinced to become the next United manager if Die Mannschaft endure a poor Euro 2024 campaign.
United have little chance of landing either Amorim or De Zerbi, with the pair the number one targets for Liverpool and Bayern Munich respectively.
i news divulges that similar to Southgate, it remains uncertain whether the out-of-work Potter or Brentford boss Thomas Frank would be keen on replacing Ten Hag even as United navigate a tumultuous period in their history.
Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.