Shock Ten Hag replacement? Man Utd 'admire' Real Madrid flop
Tom Weber
- Updated: 8 Oct 2023 07:11 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United 'admire' former Wolves and Real Madrid head coach Julen Lopetegui, according to a report.
The Red Devils have endured a terrible start to the season and the recent losses to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray have thrown doubt on Erik ten Hag's ability to get this team firing - despite it being 'his' team now, with many of 'his' signings.
This has given rise to rumours that United could move on from the Dutchman. By all accounts, Ten Hag still enjoys the backing of the Red Devils hierarchy who believe that the former Ajax boss is still the man to turn things around, and it appears unlikely that he will be sacked anytime soon.
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Yet, if Man Utd continue their rotten form - they have only won four games all season - the pressure on Ten Hag will undoubtedly ramp up. Even if United were to pull the trigger, there is one rather significant issue - who should replace him? Many of the free agents around don't inspire confidence that sacking Ten Hag could solve Man Utd's problems, but the club are said to 'admire' at least one of the potential candidates.
Lopetegui at Old Trafford?
According to journalist Dean Jones, the Man Utd hierarchy are fans of Julen Lopetegui, who famously only lasted two months as Real Madrid boss back in 2018. However, it is unlikely that the Spaniard will become Red Devils boss in the near future.
“There is a lot of talk around Erik ten Hag’s successor but what you have to look at is the fact that he was targeted ahead of a shortlist of bosses and that those top alternatives are now gone," Jones told GiveMeSport.
“Pochettino is at Chelsea, Luis Enrique is at PSG and perhaps the only manager you could look at now as someone we know they admire and that is currently out of work and wanting to be in the Premier League is Julen Lopetegui."
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“But even then, we are talking about someone who was always an outsider to actually get the job. And when you look at the betting odds right now, he’s not even listed."
“Ten Hag has been at United 18 months and to be honest while I know the trend right now is to talk about his exit and who could replace him, we’re probably more likely to see him sign a new contract at some stage than actually leave.”
