De Zerbi a SURPRISE candidate to replace Ten Hag at Man Utd

Cameron Smith

• 27 May 2024 12:40 BST
• 3 min read

Former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has reportedly emerged as a surprise candidate to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

De Zerbi, 44, left the Seagulls following the conclusion of the 2023-24 Premier League season and he has been heavily linked with the vacant job at Chelsea.

Mauricio Pochettino’s exit has opened up a position at Stamford Bridge and the ex-Brighton boss is one of the leading contenders, along with Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

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However, De Zerbi has now joined Man Utd’s list of prospective Ten Hag replacements, according to The Daily Mail.

Ten Hag guided the Red Devils to FA Cup glory on Saturday, but his job remains under threat following a disappointing domestic campaign, in which Man Utd finished eighth in the Premier League table.

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Erik ten Hag to leave Man Utd?

Reports suggested Ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the FA Cup final result, but Man Utd’s surprise victory has led to some calls for Ten Hag to remain at Old Trafford.

However, the Red Devils are on the hunt for a possible successor and several names have been linked with the job, including Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter and Kieran McKenna.

The aforementioned Pochettino and Frank are also options for Man Utd, while De Zerbi is the latest manager to be linked with replacing Ten Hag.

The Italian left Brighton earlier this month after guiding the Seagulls to an 11th place English top flight finish. They only won one of their final 10 games of the 2023-24 Premier League season, but De Zerbi remains on the radar of both Chelsea and Man Utd after an impressive debut campaign at the AMEX Stadium.

Napoli, AC Milan and Bayern Munich have also been touted as possible destinations for De Zerbi, but Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Vincent Kompany are the current favourites for those three jobs.