Next Man Utd manager? The three favourites as pressure builds on ten Hag | OneFootball

The job of Manchester United is perhaps the most challenging in world football and, following their 3-0 loss to Tottenham, rumours increase that Erik ten Hag may soon be out of a job.

Since legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, the Red Devils have gone through four permanent head coaches before appointing Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2022/23 season.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and incumbent Ten Hag won two League Cups, a Europa League title, and an FA Cup trophy between them.

However, as Roy Keane once said, a one-game losing streak at the Old Trafford-based club is seen as a crisis. The humbling 3-0 loss to Tottenaham was just another bump in the road as the pressure cooker atmosphere around the club continues.

This has also been a season of continued disharmony at the club. Man Utd have lost three of their opening six matches, and currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League table. Equally as alarming is their record in front of goal, where they’ve found the net just five times and just once at Old Trafford.

There has long been discourse that ten Hag is on borrowed time but, if the Dutchman does get the boot, who are the names in contention to be his successor?

Gareth Southgate

Current favourite to be the next Man Utd manager is former England boss Gareth Southgate, who will be looking for a high profile job following his resignation following Euro 2024. He’ll interestingly become United’s first permanent English head coach since Ron Atkinson, whom Ferguson eventually succeeded in 1986.

How they could line up

The former Middlesbrough boss has overseen more than 100 matches with the England national team, yielding a 59.8% winning percentage. He’s also shown tactical flexibility by rotating between several formations, with 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 the most commonly used. Both are not alien to United’s current squad, with 4-3-3 being an interesting development, considering that Ten Hag dropped that lineup on six occasions since joining the club.

Here, two wingers (Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford) support Højlund, with Ugarte holding and Fernandes and Mainoo completing United’s midfield triumvirate.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

With the exception of Van Gaal and Ten Hag, those who have followed Ferguson had Premier League experience. Whilst Van Nistelrooy doesn’t have managerial experience at this level, he certainly knows his way around Old Trafford, having played for the club and working under ten Hag as assistant manager. His work at PSV ended with the Dutchman citing a lack of support but he would certainly prove to be a popular figure if he were chosen to be next permanent manager at Man Utd.

How they could line up

Van Nistelrooy is another modern coach who could well drift towards a back three but unlike Tuchel he opts for a front three. A shift in formation could be what is needed to return the glory days to Old Trafford but new man, Ugarte, could find himself frozen out early into his time at the club.

Thomas Tuchel

According to the bookmakers, another favourite to take over is Thomas Tuchel, who is without a job following his time Bayern Munich. Tuchel has the potential to become a two-time European Cup-winning coach. Tuchel has experience coaching in the Premier League (with Chelsea) and has also overseen PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

How they could line up

From a tactical perspective, Tuchel is a proponent of 4-2-3-1, though, at Stamford Bridge, we saw him utilise a back-three, with 3-4-2-1 being the formation of choice. He’ll be committed to one-striker in either system, with Rasmus Højlund expected to be that sole centre-forward. Going with the latter system, two deep-lying forwards will be positioned behind the Danish marksman, with Mason Mount (no stranger to playing under the German tactician) potentially alongside influential skipper Bruno Fernandes while Noussair Mazraoui and Luke Shaw as wing-backs. Regarding who is likely to be sandwiched between United’s flankers, Kobbie Mainoo and Ugarte seem to be the choice of those currently available.