Erik ten Hag is officially out, so once again, it’s time to talk about yet another Manchester United manager sacking. Yep, that’s what happens when you’re 14th in the table at the end of October. It’s the worst start that the club has ever had, in the Premier League era, which dates all the way back to 1992.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the corporation he leads, INEOS, have a minority stake in MUFC, but total control of the football operations.
And you knew, sooner rather than later, they were going to get THEIR own guy in there.
Ratcliffe, his right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox must now decide who is up next. Let’s take a look at the five leading candidates to replace Ten Hag.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
If you’re going to go in-house, which is often what happens with these sort of things these days, than RVN is your guy. He’s the easy, path of least resistance kind of choice, as he already has the gig on a caretaker basis. And if he does really well here, will he get that interim tag removed?
That’s what happened with another club legend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but of course that worked out poorly in the end. Okay, so that’s a bad example.
Gareth Southgate
There already seems to be a backlash against this idea, among the supporter base. Or at least there is a backlash on social media against this concept. His England teams didn’t play an exciting style, but at least it was better than the brand of football we saw at United under Ten Hag this season. They’re both bad and boring.
Since United prioritizes domestic players so much in their recruiting efforts, this might seem like a great fit, but he’s apparently taken himself out of the running already. Southgate has said he is taking a year off from managing.
Max Allegri
Another guy with a great CV, and plenty of top tier experience. Does he fit though? And how does he adjust from Italy?
Kieran McKenna
Ipswich’s gaffer is considered one of the fastest rising coaching prospects in the game. It’s easy to see why, as he guided Ipswich back to the Premier League with back-to-back promotions, since taking over in December 2021. He’s worked also worked as an assistant under former United managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Graham Potter
Another than bookies and listicle creators (like me!), who thinks this is actually a serious option? Would anyone be excited about this possibility right now?
Thomas Frank
Brentford’s boss is going to get his shot at a big club sometime; we’ve known that for awhile. The Bees are coming off a rough season, but he’s still thought to be one of the leading front-runners.
And just so we’re up to speed, Sir Alex Ferguson was at the club for 27 years (1986-2013). The next hire will be the eighth man in charge since Fergie stepped down. They are:
Ten Hag July 2022-October 2024, Ralf Rangnick (interim basis only) November 2021 to May 2022, Solskjaer December 2018-November 2021, Mourinho May 2016-December 2018, Louis van Gaal June 2014-May 2016, Ryan Giggs (interim basis only) April 2014, David Moyes August 2013-April 2014.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.