Manchester United have continued their horrid start to the season with a loss to West Ham on Sunday, so it is no surprise that the Red Devils have finally opted to relieve Erik ten Hag of his duties as manager at Old Trafford. The Dutchman has seen his United side slump to 14th in the Premier League standings with a 3-2-4 record through nine games. With matches coming up against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all before Christmas, it could get worse before it gets better, but now was the time to try and turn this around.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is taking over coaching duties in the interim as the process of identifying Ten Hag’s successor begins and we take a look at a few early names to keep an eye on.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Already visible on the sidelines for United having returned to his former club to assist Ten Hag over this past summer, could he have his new interim tag made permanent? The Dutchman is actually one of the leading candidates to replace his compatriot given that he already has an impressive stint with PSV Eindhoven under his belt. Van Nistelrooy led the Dutch giants to the 2022-23 KNVB Cup in his single season in charge and then had a year more or less out of the game before accepting to rejoin United who he had spent five years with as a prolific striker. Although he might have the air of a temporary solution for the moment, it seems unlikely that the 48-year-old will be content to be a No. 2 for much longer and any potential interim stint could easily become permanent if it proves difficult to attract a replacement for Ten Hag from the outside.
Gareth Southgate
The most credible candidate right now appeared to be former England manager Gareth Southgate who left as Three Lions boss after defeat in the UEFA Euro 2024 final to Spain. Having been out of the club game since 2009, it feels like the next opportunity which comes the 54-year-old’s way will decide whether or not he is able to re-enter the club game or if he is now exclusively an international boss. Southgate has been linked with United on and off for a while now and it feels like he is someone that the Red Devils will at least wants to speak with now that Ten Hag is finally out of the equation. However, there is no guarantee that the timing is right post-Three Lions: “I will not coach in the next year, for sure,” Southgate said at ECA Europe’s recent general assembly. “I am certain of that. I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.”
Graham Potter
Another name currently unattached is that of another former Chelsea manager in Graham Potter who had the unenviable task of following in Tuchel’s footsteps at Stamford Bridge which proved too difficult an act to replicate. Out of the game for over a year despite discussions with a number of clubs regarding opportunities to rebound, the 49-year-old’s top level stock arguably took a hit when he left Brighton and Hove Albion for Chelsea as part of a wave of departures towards Stamford Bridge on and off the field. Although Potter is unlikely to be considered of the same caliber as Tuchel and possibly Southgate, he could benefit from one or two top picks hesitating over the state of affairs left by Ten Hag to swoop in and secure his Premier League return.
Simone Inzaghi
A more surprising possibility but one which seems to have some semblance of believability is that of Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian is under contract so arguably one of the more costly options going but his record with the Nerazzurri is impressive — especially when you factor in their run to the 2022-23 Champions League final and narrow loss to Manchester City in that final. Three pieces of major Italian silverware including one Scudetto and consecutive Coppa Italia titles makes it understandable why Inzaghi might be considered. Then again, when you factor in the language barrier for the 48-year-old who is yet to have any sort of coaching or playing experience outside of his homeland, it would make for a risky and costly move for both the manager and United.
Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank or Massimiliano Allegri
Slightly outside the main contenders could be the likes of the Ipswich Town and Brentford bosses with the former Juventus tactician also in that band. Kieran McKenna is enjoying a rising reputation in the game and was linked with Chelsea before extending his contract at Portman Road while he also has experience at United albeit at youth level. Thomas Frank has been consistently one of the best managers in the Premier League when it comes to extracting talent and although perhaps United is a slight cut above the Bees’ Danish mastermind, there is little doubt that he is considered ready for a more prestigious EPL posting at some point in the near future. Massimiliano Allegri is available and has been linked with positions like this in the past but has elite reputation suffered during a second spell with Juve which makes the 57-year-old an unlikely candidate.
Unai Emery and Zinedine Zidane
Two names seemingly out of reach for now are Aston Villa’s Unai Emery who will go down as Ten Hag’s final United opponent and Zinedine Zidane who has been out of the game for a while now as he waits for an opportunity to succeed Didier Deschamps as France national team head coach. The Spaniard has full control at Villa Park and has been able to construct a working staff that is effectively hand-picked and now with the Villans taking on and beating Europe’s big boys in the UEFA Champions League, it is highly unlikely that he ditches all of that for United in what would be a costly effort for the Red Devils. Zidane would also come with the same cultural questions marks as Inzaghi and Allegri given his apparent reluctance to consider postings outside of Spain and his native France in the past.
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