Football Digest: Man Utd urged to give Ten Hag time he needs
Manchester United have lost five of 10 Premier League games this season, their worst record since 1986 as pressure continues to grow on head coach Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman spent big again this summer but several of his new signings have failed to have the desired effect and questions are starting to loom over whether he is the right man for the job. Here, Express Sport has looked at the five top candidates that could step in if Ten Hag does get sacked this month.
Graham Potter
Despite failing at Chelsea, Graham Potter was regarded as one of the brightest coaches in the league during his time in charge of Brighton. Even though his stock is currently low after leaving Stamford Bridge, it has been clear that he has a future at the top of the game.
Interestingly, he was reportedly offered the head coaching position at Nice, who are owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. If the man in talks to purchase a 25 per cent stake in United and oversee the sporting side of the club is a big fan of Potter then he could be viewed as a potential successor to Ten Hag.
Potter is currently without a club despite fielding several offers and could appeal to those within United who do not want to pay a fee for an incoming head coach, considering Ten Hag would receive a significant pay-off if sacked.
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Hansi Flick
It was not too long ago that Hansi Flick was celebrating winning a sextuple at Bayern Munich, but a disastrous spell in charge of the German national team saw him sacked in September.
Perhaps international football did not suit Flick’s style of management, but any head coach who has won six trophies in a year would likely be considered by the United hierarchy in the future if Ten Hag were to see his time at the club brought to a premature end.
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Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi continues to be a sensation at Brighton and has even been tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City one day. The Italian would not come cheap and it may even be difficult to prise him away from the south coast this season, but United would certainly have to attempt bringing De Zerbi to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has been questioned for not bringing his Ajax style of play and patterns of football to the Premier League, but De Zerbi has made that transition with ease. He has a very clear philosophy on the pitch and plenty of supporters would love to see that brought to United.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane will likely have been coveted by United since his second departure from Real Madrid in 2021. The French legend coached Los Blancos twice and won La Liga twice while being victorious three times in the Champions League.
However, the 51-year-old has so far refused to state his desire to get back into management. A club the size of United does have considerable pull and Zidane could well relish the opportunity to return the Red Devils to their former glory, while he would get the chance to work with Casemiro and Raphael Varane once again.
Antonio Conte
Some sections of the United fanbase will feel that the club need an authoritarian dictator in charge to lay down the law and challenge their under-performing player, Antonio Conte would fit that bill to a tee.
Conte has had considerable success with Chelsea and in Italy and although his time in charge of Tottenham will not be remembered too fondly, he has enough pedigree that it could be overlooked if discipline was regarded as the most important factor in Ten Hag’s replacement.
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