Erik ten Hag continues to maintain his position at Manchester United; however, the strain is never far from him. TT has analyzed all of the potential candidates to succeed the Dutchman at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are currently in 14th place in the Premier League ranking, and they are closer to the relegation zone in terms of points than they are to the top four.
United are currently facing renewed pressure to terminate Ten Hag, despite the fact that they maintained their support for him during the summer, when many anticipated his departure.
To that end, Manchester United may be contemplating the following managers as potential replacements for Ten Hag:
The leaders
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Over the summer, the renowned Old Trafford forward became a member of Ten Hag’s coaching staff and is currently the leading candidate to temporarily succeed his compatriot. He was appointed as the senior manager of PSV in March 2022 and was successful in winning the Dutch Cup, after having previously managed the club at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels. Nevertheless, Van Nistelrooy resigned from the Eredivisie champions at the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign, citing a lack of support for his decision. However, even if it were a temporary appointment, he would undoubtedly be a well-received candidate for the position.
Gareth Southgate
Numerous media entities have previously reported on United’s interest in the former England manager. According to reports, Southgate is considered a figure who has the potential to revitalize the team on the field and reset the club’s cultural foundation, as he has done with the Three Lions. After Spain emerged victorious in the 2024 Euro final, the 54-year-old relinquished his position as a member of the Three Lions. However, he continues to be considered one of the bookmakers’ top candidates for the United position.
Graham Potter is another manager who is reportedly admired by the INEOS sporting leadership team. Despite his success during his tenures as the manager of Swansea and Brighton, the 49-year-old has been unemployed since Chelsea terminated him last year. In an apparent attempt to secure another Premier League position, he declined the opportunity to manage Ajax at the conclusion of the previous season. More recently, he has been touted as a potential replacement for Sean Dyche at Everton.
Included in the mixture
Ruben Amorim
The Times reported last season that Amorim, the coach of Sporting CP, was on United’s radar. He had previously been associated with West Ham and Chelsea. The 39-year-old coach has guided the Lisbon team to two league crowns in the past four years, all while employing an aggressive pressing strategy and an attack-minded style of play.
Kieran McKenna
McKenna, a youthful and promising coach, is in high demand due to his success in guiding Ipswich to consecutive promotions. He has already gained a deep understanding of United as a result of his time as a member of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s staff. McKenna’s representatives have previously met with United CEO Omar Berrada; however, the 38-year-old promptly signed a new four-year contract with Town.
Roberto De Zerbi
De Zerbi, another former Brighton manager, was speculated to be in the running to take over at United. However, his tenure at the AmEx Stadium was marked by a decline in performance since the turn of the year. Nevertheless, the Italian impressed with his dynamic, attack-oriented approach and his capacity to cultivate talent. He was reportedly under consideration for the position prior to the decision to remain with Ten Hag; however, he has since assumed the position at Marseille, which has made a strong start to the season and is currently in the title race in France.
Thomas Frank
Frank, the Brentford manager, has performed exceptionally well in both establishing the Bees in the Premier League and maintaining their status there for the past three seasons. The Dane, who is a clever, articulate communicator and tactically astute, has also been on Chelsea’s shortlist in the past. In March, ESPN reported that United was interested in the 50-year-old. It is certain that the slow beginnings to games under Ten Hag would come to an end, if Brentford’s last three league encounters are any indication. The Bees have established a new Premier League record by scoring in the opening minute of all three games.
Edin Terzic
Terzic departed Borussia Dortmund in the summer after leading the German club to the Champions League final last season. He was briefly associated with a temporary vacancy at Roma during the summer, but he has not yet been in serious consideration of accepting a new position. Terzic was recently considered for the Manchester United position, according to a report from The Sun. It is intriguing that he earned his coaching qualifications in England with Nemanja Vidic and Nicky Butt.
The distant prospects
Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe’s departure from Newcastle would necessitate an immense amount of effort; however, sources have informed TEAMtalk that Manchester United hold him in high regard, particularly in light of his contributions to the development of youthful players. Although Howe is currently under contract with Newcastle, it is possible that he could be coerced into taking over at Manchester United, where he would once again be working under Dan Ashworth. However, this is a separate matter.
Joachim Low
In a recent report, the former Germany coach was identified as a prospective alternative for United in the event that Ten Hag is terminated. Since departing the international arena in 2021, the 64-year-old, who led his country to World Cup success in 2014, has been unemployed and is considered an unlikely candidate.
Unai Emery
Emery was reportedly associated to United as a potential successor to Ten Hag last season, according to reports in Spain. This became increasingly unlikely as the campaign continued and the Spanish tactician achieved more with Aston Villa, culminating in a fourth-place Premier League finish and Champions League qualification. According to the bookmakers, he continues to be considered for the position, despite this.
Michel
Michel, the manager of Girona, has emerged as one of the most sought-after coaching prospects in Europe as a result of his leadership in the Catalan club’s remarkable third-place finish in the La Liga last season. Berrada, who previously worked for Manchester City before joining United, is well acquainted with Michel, as Girona is owned by the City Football Group. Additionally, The Telegraph reports that the CEO of the Red Devils is an enthusiastic admirer of the Spanish tactician. On the other hand, Girona has yet to commence their new campaign and is presently ranked 12th in the table after eight games.
Simone Inzaghi
In February, the Italian outlet Tuttosport reported that Inzaghi was included in United’s list of potential successors to Ten Hag in the event that the Red Devils decide to part ways with the Dutchman. The former Lazio manager has performed exceptionally well in his role as Inter’s manager, leading the Nerazzuri to the Serie A title last season after they reached the Champions League final in the previous campaign. However, the 48-year-old is rumored to be content with his current situation at the San Siro and is not currently seeking a new challenge.
Zinedine Zidane
The Independent reported that INEOS made contact with the out-of-work coach’s representatives earlier in the year, and Zidane has been mentioned as a potential managerial candidate for United for the second time. However, Zidane has exclusively served as the manager of Real Madrid and has demonstrated minimal interest in evaluating his coaching abilities in the Premier League.
Michael Carrick
The former United midfielder has received numerous accolades for his work at Middlesbrough since departing his coaching position at Old Trafford. He has also served as interim manager of the club. He departed the club following the appointment of Ralf Rangnick and led Boro to the play-offs in his inaugural season, followed by an eighth-place finish in his subsequent season. If United were to make that risk, he would be an ideal candidate due to his progressive approach to the game.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Former United manager Solkjaer was recently quoted as stating that he would return to Old Trafford if he were requested, although this appears to be extremely improbable at this time. In November 2021, United terminated the Norwegian manager following a humiliating loss to Watford and his failure to secure a trophy during his three-year tenure.
Eliminated from contention
Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel resigned from his position as Bayern Munich’s manager at the conclusion of the previous season, following the unfavorable distinction of guiding the Bavarian titans to their first Bundesliga title loss in more than a decade. However, the German is a former Champions League winner with Chelsea and possesses one of the most acute tactical acumens in the world. He was considered one of the leading candidates for the position until the England national team selected him as their successor to Southgate.
Mauricio Pochettino
The USA national team’s new coach was recently announced, following his departure from Stamford Bridge at the conclusion of the previous season. The former Tottenham and Chelsea manager has been associated with the Old Trafford position for some time.
Julian Nagelsmann
The 36-year-old former coach of RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich was once considered a forerunner for the Old Trafford position in the event that Ten Hag is dismissed. However, he has since extended his contract with the German national team.
Xabi Alonso
Alonso was regarded as the frontrunner to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Tuchel at Bayern after guiding Bayer Leverkusen to their inaugural title. He did so without suffering a loss in any competition until a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final. United was considered a long-shot alternative. However, the erstwhile Real Madrid maestro has elected to remain with Leverkusen for a minimum of one additional season.
Thiago Motta
In March, TEAMtalk exclusively disclosed that Motta was being monitored at Old Trafford in anticipation of Ten Hag’s dismissal. However, after leading Bologna to a fifth-place finish last season, he was appointed as the new Juventus coach.
Francesco Farioli
Farioli, the former manager of Nice, was another manager that TEAMtalk exclusively disclosed was under consideration for the United position. While the majority of Premier League fans may not be familiar with the 35-year-old, he received high praise for his leadership of the INEOS-owned French team, which achieved a fifth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. Nevertheless, in May 2024, he was appointed as the coach of Ajax.
Gary O’Neil
O’Neil made a significant impact in his inaugural season as Wolves’ manager, guiding the Midlands club to a respectable 14th-place finish, safely avoiding the relegation battle. Although ESPN reported the Red Devils’ interest in the inexperienced former Bournemouth manager, the 41-year-old was a surprise entry into the race for the United post. Nevertheless, Wolves have experienced an abysmal start to the new season and are presently positioned at the bottom of the Premier League table, having suffered five defeats in their first six games. Imagine the consequences if United were to pursue this course of action at this time.
Julen Lopetegui
Back in November, the Spanish sports publication AS asserted that Lopetegui was a potential candidate for the position of United’s next manager. Nevertheless, the former Real Madrid manager succeeded David Moyes as the new manager of West Ham. The two-year contract, which includes the possibility of a third year, was signed over the summer at the London Stadium.
