Five possible replacements for Erik ten Hag at Man Utd

Cameron Smith

• 2 Sept 2024 14:00 BST
• 4 min read

Erik ten Hag signed a contract extension at Manchester United in July, but he is already under intense pressure after a poor start to the 2024-25 campaign.

The Dutchman was expected to be sacked following the conclusion of last season, however he saved his job thanks to a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Despite the fact Ten Hag has won two domestic trophies since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2022, he has failed to win over the fans and performances simply haven’t improved in recent months.

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Man Utd invested smartly during the 2024 summer transfer window, spending a combined €214.5 million on Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui.

However, Ten Hag still looks out of depth and his side were easily picked off by Liverpool on Sunday afternoon - with Arne Slot masterminding a 3-0 victory against his fellow Dutchman.

In fact, the new Liverpool boss even explained Ten Hag’s tactics and how to exploit them during his post-match interview with Sky Sports.

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A 1-0 opening day win over Fulham was unconvincing - and relied on a late winner from the aforementioned Zirkzee - while Man Utd have now lost back-to-back games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool.

Ten Hag’s side sit 14th in the Premier League table and they are already six points behind both Manchester City and Liverpool.

As a result, Ten Hag could well lose his job if things continue to spiral. Below, FootballTransfers list five potential successors who could replace the Dutchman at Man Utd.

Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate remains the odds-on favourite to become the next Man Utd manager and he is now available following his resignation from England.

INEOS are huge admirers of Southgate and they could push to appoint him if Ten Hag is unable to arrest Man Utd’s current slide.

Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel ruled himself out of the running to replace Ten Hag in the summer, with the German boss eager to rest after leaving Bayern Munich.

However, he’s now had a fairly lengthy break away from the game and a move to Man Utd could be an intriguing proportion for the ex-Chelsea head coach.

Kieran McKenna

Kieran McKenna snubbed interest from Man Utd and Chelsea to sign a new contract at Ipswich Town in May, but his history at Old Trafford suggests that he could well be tempted by a return.

Ipswich have spent big in the market, but an opportunity to manage Man Utd may not present itself again, so McKenna could be persuaded to re-join the club.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy is currently the second-favourite to replace Ten Hag, as per the bookies, and he is a strong contender to take over from his countryman.

In fact, FootballTransfers understands that Van Nistelrooy is expected to become the Man Utd manager by 2026 and he is currently considered to be the most likely man to succeed Ten Hag.

Graham Potter

Graham Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 and he has been heavily linked with the Red Devils over the past few months.

While he is unlikely to seal the Man Utd head coach position as his first managerial job back in football, far stranger things have happened in the past.