Manchester United have reportedly identified a former Premier League manager as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag’s future at United remains uncertain, with the club having made their worst ever start to a Premier League season.
It is claimed that United have already made contact with one of their leading candidates to replace ten Hag should they decide to sack him.
The manager is said to ‘definitely’ be ready to take charge at Old Trafford if the opportunity arises.
United’s senior hierarchy, including minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, held a meeting this week, with ten Hag’s future believed to be one of the topics that was discussed.
Man United have reportedly identified a key candidate to potentially replace Erik ten Hag
United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe held a meeting with club officials this week
As reported by Christian Falk, United are considering appointing Thomas Tuchel if they part company with ten Hag.
Tuchel has been out of work since his departure from Bayern Munich at the end of last season and would be willing to take on the United job after having some time off.
During his time at Bayern, Tuchel won the Bundesliga title in the 2022-23 season, but the German giants missed on silverware last campaign.
He was previously in charge of Chelsea between January 2021 and September 2022, during which time he won the Champions League in 2021, defeating Manchester City in the final.
Prior to that, Tuchel had spells as manager of Borussia Dortmund and PSG.
Ten Hag seems likely to be in charge for United’s next game at home to Brentford on October 19 but he can surely ill afford many more slip-ups.
Over two years into his tenure, United are still sorely lacking in terms of both consistency and identity.
According to The Telegraph, ten Hag would receive around £14million if he was sacked by United.
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel could potentially replace ten Hag at United
Ten Hag’s future as United manager remains uncertain following inconsistent performances
United considered replacing ten Hag at the end of last season but decided to keep faith with him following the club’s FA Cup success and granted him an extension, which is due to run until the summer of 2026.
Ratcliffe refused to publicly back ten Hag when asked last week whether he retains faith in the United manager.
Ratcliffe told the BBC: ‘I don’t want to answer that question.
‘I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.’
