Next Manchester United manager odds: Two-horse race tipped after Erik ten Hag sacked

The Independent

·28 Oktober 2024

Next Manchester United manager odds: Two-horse race tipped after Erik ten Hag sacked

Manchester United are looking for a new manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked following a poor start to the season.

United are 14th in the Premier League after nine games, and lie 21st in the Europa League table have failed to win any of their opening three fixtures.

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The defeat by West Ham United on the weekend was ironically one of the team’s better performances under Ten Hag this season, but it proved to be the final straw for the Ineos ownership as a string of missed chances resulted in a 2-1 loss.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken interim charge of the club after joining as an assistant coach in the summer, and the former United striker is the early favourite to take the permanent role.

Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim is considered one of the leading coaches in Europe and is another contender, but The Independent reported on Monday the eye-watering cost of securing his services, and his reluctance to leave Sporting high and dry mid-season as they chase the Portuguese title.

Gareth Southgate is out of work after stepping down as England manager following Euro 2024 and is known to be admired by Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his director of sport, Sir Dave Brailsford, but has not managed in the club game for 15 years.

Erik ten Hag has been sacked (PA Wire)

But they have moved too slowly for Thomas Tuchel, who signed an 18-month contract earlier this month to lead England into the 2026 World Cup.

Other contenders include the former Barcelona manager Xavi, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and the former United midfielder Michael Carrick.

Kieran McKenna previously occupied the role Van Nistelrooy now fulfils, and has done fine work guiding Ipswich Town back into the Premier League. The Northern Irishman was linked with a host of clubs in the summer and could be considered for a return to a club at which he spent five years in a variety of roles.