Erik ten Hag 'could face Man Utd U-turn' after club drew up 10-man replacement list

Erik ten Hag could be given a "stay of execution" at Manchester United, with the club's hierarchy claimed to be planning for the Dutchman to remain in charge next season

Posted Thursday, March 28, 2024 by Dailystar.co.uk

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a new plan for Erik ten Hag after creating a list of 10 potential replacements, according to reports.

Manchester United's new chief is said to be preparing for the Dutchman to stay on as manager next season, but the club's top bosses are also planning a strategy that would allow them to quickly make changes if needed. Ten Hag, who is 53 years old, had a great first season at Old Trafford but hasn't met expectations this year.

His future has been the topic of much discussion for months, although he has earned some relief after an amazing win over Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals earlier this month. The speculation about Ten Hag's chances of staying at Old Trafford has increased since Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrived. His Ineos team now controls the sporting operations.

Even though Ratcliffe hasn't publicly supported Ten Hag yet, he is expected to give him "a stay of execution". This information comes from a new report by iNews, which says that for now, Ten Hag is included in the club's plans for the 2024/25 season because of the big win over Liverpool, via the Mirror.

In addition, it's reported that United will wait until their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is in position before making a long-term decision about the Dutchman, who signed a contract that lasts until the summer of 2025 after leaving Ajax.

The report suggests that if Ashworth makes the move from Newcastle, he and incoming chief executive Omar Berrada will be the ones to decide Ten Hag's future, not Ratcliffe and his right-hand man, Ineos director of sport, Sir Dave Brailsford. Ineos plans to continue its work revamping the club's structure in the summer.

They're also working on a strategy to make any potential managerial changes go smoothly. Over the weekend, ESPN revealed that the club has a list of 10 possible replacements if Ten Hag leaves. The list includes big names like Zinedine Zidane, Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi, who have all been linked with Ten Hag's job recently.

England manager Gareth Southgate is also on Ratcliffe's radar, but last week he dismissed rumours linking him with United.

He said: "I'm certainly not going to speak to anyone else, I never have, I've been eight years in the job and would never entertain speaking to anyone else while I'm in a job, so I don't know if that answers your question.