Manchester United “have held secret talks” with multiple managers behind Erik ten Hag’s back | OneFootball

Manchester United have reportedly held conversations with a number of managers amidst increased uncertainty over Erik ten Hag’s position at the club.

Ten Hag narrowly kept his job in the summer, following an extremely poor 2023/24 season in which United finished eighth. He survived largely thanks to an FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City at Wembley.

It’s believed that United held talks with potential replacements for the Dutchman including Kieran McKenna, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank and Marco Silva but ultimately, the decision was made to afford him more time to turn the situation around at Old Trafford.

In hindsight, it seems that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the new football leadership group made the wrong choice. United have started the 2024/25 campaign poorly and already, there is renewed speculation over Ten Hag’s future.

The Red Devils currently lie in the bottom half of the Premier League table, having won just three of their eight opening matches.

United also remain winless in their Europa League and have managed three draws in as many games, with the most recent one being a 1-1 result against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on Thursday evening.

Some of the coaches linked to the United job include Xavi, Edin Terzic, Ruben Amorim and of course, Thomas Frank.

A recent report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that a club delegation led by chief executive Omar Berrada jetted to Spain to sound out Xavi. Meanwhile, Amorim has been mentioned to be on United’s list but he’s also on the radar of Manchester City as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola.

Another report claimed that United also reached out to Terzic’s camp to gauge his willingness to replace Ten Hag.

In an interview a few days ago, Frank opened the door to a possible switch from Brentford to United.

Chris Wheeler of The Daily Mail has given an update on the ongoing managerial situation at United as Ten Hag attempts to cling on to his role.

According to Wheeler, “Manchester United have held secret talks with a number of managers over replacing Erik ten Hag as the Dutchman once again fights to save his job at Old Trafford.”

“The club’s co-owners interviewed many candidates then before deciding to keep Ten Hag and extend his contract by a year. But the fact United have resumed their search for a replacement behind the scenes has cast fresh doubt over the 54-year-old’s future. The club have declined to comment.”

“While it isn’t certain United will sack Ten Hag after two-and-a-half years in charge having given him another stay of execution in the last international break, he will be vulnerable when the Premier League pauses again next month if results do not improve.”

The newspaper reveals that there is “growing concern” over the lack of progress at United despite a summer in which the club spent in excess of £200million to bolster the squad.

It’s understood that Xavi is reluctant to take charge of a team outside Spain. Frank has admirers at the Theatre of Dreams courtesy of his “exciting brand of football.”