With Ten Hag on the hot seat, the coaches who could replace him at Man United

The Dutch coach is in serious trouble and his future at the club is in jeopardy.

26/02/2024, 06:38 PM +00:00

Last Saturday's defeat against Fulham brought serious problems to Manchester United. They seemed to have improved in recent weeks, with several consecutive victories that had allowed them to climb a few places in the Premier League standings and get closer to the Champions League 2024/25 qualification zone.

However, Alex Iwobi's 97th minute goal for the Cottagers changed everything. Once again the English press and fans made harsh criticism of the players and, above all, of Erik Ten Hag, holding him mainly responsible for the failures in the current season. And that's not all, as rumors started again about the possible departure of the Dutch coach and the favorites to replace him.

According to The Sun, there are seven managers who could replace Ten Hag next season. Three of them have had good experiences in the Premier League and that makes them suitable candidates. The first is Roberto De Zerbi, whose work with Brighton & Hove Albion has made clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona interested in him. Another who excelled with The Seagulls is Graham Potter, although his failure at Chelsea is the last thing remembered about him. And Thomas Tuchel, who will leave Bayern Munich this summer, joins that list.

Two others with options because of their past at The Red Devils: Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna. The former shone for years as a midfielder when Sir Alex Ferguson was coach and is now doing a great job with Middlesbrough in the Championship. McKenna worked at Old Trafford between 2016 and 2021 and is currently manager of Ipswich.

Two surprises

Rounding out the list are two names that no one imagined. One is Zinedine Zidane, who has not returned to coaching since his departure from Real Madrid, despite being mentioned as an option for Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Marseille and the France national team. The other one is Gareth Southgate, current England manager, who has a great relationship with Dan Ashworth, probably the next sporting director of Manchester United.