As the Ten Hag chat resurfaces, so to does the talk of who might replace him. Here are the current favourites for the job, based on the latest odds from Oddschecker.
10) Zinedine Zidane
People keep trying to make Zinedine Zidane to United happen. It’s not going to happen.
9) Ruben Amorim
An absolute mainstay of any such lists, having won two Portuguese titles in four years at Sporting. Had to admit he had made a “mistake” by talking to West Ham, which might well have torpedoed any chance of taking over at Liverpool. Is certain to be in the conversation if/when the United job comes up again, mind.
8) Graham Potter
Arf! Just imagine if United did sack Ten Hag and they replaced him with the man who crashed and burned so spectacularly at Chelsea. Potter has plenty of mitigation – it is hard to imagine anyone succeeding at Stamford Bridge, but the ex-Brighton manager surely needs to re-establish his credentials for the top jobs elsewhere before being considered by the biggest clubs again.
And just ponder the reaction among the egos in the United dressing room. Some of these lads refused to listen to Ralf Rangnick having had to Google the German when he was appointed. The prospect of this squad tuning in to Potter seems… remote.
But it’s an appointment that would certainly chime with Dan Ashworth.
7) Thomas Frank
Might have made slightly more sense if Brentford hadn’t spent much of last season flailing about on the fringes of the relegation battle. Though he does already know how to bring out the worst in Man United, which appears to be a prerequisite for the job.
6) Roberto De Zerbi
Now at Marseille but will remain high on any list of possible managers for any big Premier League club because he ‘knows the league’. He also knows how to drop five places in a year, which is the kind of experience that could be vital for Manchester United.
5) Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea chose the path of abject stupidity and it appeared to leave the path clear for United to pounce on a manager they had coveted back in his Tottenham days. They decided to eschew that option in favour of sticking with what’s been working so very well for them.
Any second thoughts United might have on that bit of decision making during this season are now likely to be futile, with Pochettino set to be confirmed as the new USMNT manager any minute now.
4) Kieran McKenna
His agent played a blinder as reported interest from Manchester United led to a four-year contract at Ipswich that makes him one of the best-paid managers in the Premier League. Any kind of encouraging season – or even half-season – at Ipswich could keep him very much in contention as Ten Hag flails around flailingly.
3) Thomas Tuchel
His departure from Bayern Munich puts him firmly in the running for many of the big jobs available this summer but his lack of warmth – and the fact that he has managed four clubs in a decade – could work against him as the Red Devils look for a long-term manager who can bring the oomph back to United.
Has to take his own hefty share of the blame for Bayern’s potless 2023/24 season, even if finishing third in a one-horse race is obviously mainly down to the Harry Kane Curse.
But still represents a manager of elite calibre who is currently available. But reports in the summer suggested he talked himself out of the job after outlining plans as outlandish as “fixing problems” and “getting the best out of Jadon Sancho” so we’re not quite sure either party would currently be that keen.
1) Gareth Southgate
Remains just about in top spot after his England resignation after yet another glorious failure. We’re really not sure United fans would tolerate this, but my word would the press boys be thrilled.
Any indication this might really be a goer will have the think-pieces flowing about just how much Southgate deserves such a chance after nearly winning some things with England. For maximum banter, he would need to make his first move as United manager the signing of Jordan Henderson.
Say what you like about Southgate, but United probably don’t have to worry about another big club snapping him up before they get a chance.
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