Erik ten Hag sacked: Xavi, Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter - Top candidates to become next Manchester United manager
Updated 28/10/2024 at 16:16 GMT
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Erik ten Hag has paid the price for a poor start to the season at Manchester United, but who could be the next permanent manager in line at Old Trafford? The Dutchman has lost his job despite signing a contract extension in the summer, meaning the club are now looking for a sixth permanent boss since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Ten Hag was sacked after more than two years in charge.
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Manchester United are in the process of trying to appoint a sixth permanent manager in the 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, following Erik ten Hag's sacking.
The Dutchman has paid the price for a poor start to the season, with United 14th in the table following a controversial 2-1 defeat to West Ham, and failing to record a single victory from three UEFA Europa League matches.
Club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy will take temporary charge, having returned to Old Trafford as Ten Hag's assistant in the summer.
But who could be the next in line to attempt what David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag have struggled to do since Sir Alex stepped away?
This will be the first managerial appointment for United since Ineos took sporting control of the club.
Here are some of the contenders...
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Ruben Amorim
The Sporting head coach is highly rated, having been linked with previous vacancies at Liverpool and West Ham earlier this year.
For the latter, Amorim issued an apology to Sporting fans after he flew to the UK for talks about succeeding Moyes at the London Stadium, conceding he had made a "mistake" and that the "timing was completely wrong".
Amorim's stock is high having won the Primera Liga title last season, but could he be holding out for a different job in the north west of England at Manchester City?
If Pep Guardiola chooses to depart at the end of the season - and there has been no public decision one way or another - Amorim could be an option, as Sporting's current technical director Hugo Viana will be taking up the position of City's director of football, when Txiki Begiristain steps down next summer.
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Gareth Southgate
These were the words of Gareth Southgate just over two weeks ago at the European Club Association general assembly, following his departure as England manager after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Is the Manchester United job too tempting, if asked? Southgate has long been tipped to return to club management for the first time since leaving Middlesbrough in 2009.
In many ways, it might be the ideal set-up for him. Southgate had his critics as England boss, but he has been widely praised for his part in the complete overhaul of the FA's youth development - the so-called 'England DNA' - which he orchestrated alongside Dan Ashworth, now sporting director at Old Trafford.
A move to United would reunite what was a successful partnership.
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Graham Potter
Another candidate with strong links to Ashworth, following their time together at Brighton & Hove Albion, which ultimately set the foundations for Roberto De Zerbi to guide the club into Europe for the first time.
Potter and an army of Brighton staff joined Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's revolution at Stamford Bridge, but most were out of the job by April 2023.
There are mitigating factors though - the ownership, vision and direction was new, and Mauricio Pochettino struggled with similar issues last season. Only now, in the third season of the post-Roman Abramovich project, are things starting to settle down under Enzo Maresca.
Potter is a clever coach with clear ideas, and he has been putting himself back in the spotlight with media appearances recently. At Brighton, he repeatedly spoke about making the most of fine margins - something that will chime nicely with Sir Dave Brailsford. His ability to thrive within a clear structure could make him an attractive appointment for Ineos.
Xavi Hernandez
A big name without a job since leaving Barcelona in the summer, Xavi excited some Red Devils fans recently when he posted a picture on Instagram featuring his son in a Manchester United kit.
As much as this means absolutely nothing, it has contributed to the legendary midfielder's name being mentioned as a contender.
Appointed by Barca in November 2021 following the sacking of Ronald Koeman, Xavi won La Liga in his first full season in charge, lifting the trophy in 2023 despite financial constraints.
His exit from the club was messy. In January, he announced he was leaving, only to reverse that decision following an uptick in results. But shortly after that, he was sacked anyway.
There is no doubting that being a serial winner as a player, Xavi would command the respect of the United dressing room.
Zinedine Zidane
Talking about respect -0 how about a man who in his sole managerial job at Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League three times and La Liga twice?
Zinedine Zidane has been out of work since leaving the Bernabeu in 2021, but he has been heavily linked with Manchester United before, with reports suggesting he was previously approached.
He is well fancied by bookmakers, but it is understood that Zidane is not a fluent English speaker, which has the potential to affect working within the Ineos structure.
Or could it be Ruud's?
Maybe the next few weeks will serve as an audition for Van Nistelrooy to put himself in a position to take the job.
Only 10 players have scored more goals for United than the Dutchman, who found the net 150 times in five seasons at Old Trafford. He has the affection of plenty of fans, but lacks an impressive managerial record.
Van Nistelrooy won the Dutch Cup with PSV Eindhoven last year, but there were reports that players were not happy with all of his methods.
It is not known how many games he has in charge of United, with fixtures against Leicester (twice), Chelsea and PAOK all to come before the next international break.
Solskjaer turned a caretaker role into a longer-term position - could the same happen again, or will the hierarchy be put off by how that went?
Who else is in the frame?
Brentford's Thomas Frank is often mentioned as a contender, but he told the Sports Agents last week that taking a bigger job would "not make my life better", despite saying he may be up for a new challenge at some point.
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is one of the highest-rated coaches in UK football, and he knows United well, having coached there under Solskjaer, while Edin Terzic has also been linked after leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, despite guiding the club to the Champions League final.
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