Manchester United have held ‘secret talks’ with a number of managers and are considering hiring a Premier League boss to replace Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag remains on the brink at Old Trafford despite last weekend’s much-needed comeback win over Brentford and an acceptable draw against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in midweek.
Manchester United, the most successful team in British football, are in the bottom-half of the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s clash with West Ham.
If having to play in the Europa League rather than the Champions League was not bad enough, United have also failed to win any of their first three games in the competition.
Ten Hag has repeatedly insisted he has the backing of the Old Trafford owners but it is well known that they spoke to several managers about possibly replacing the Dutchman last summer.
Ten Hag, who was appointed in 2022, often points to the fact he has won trophies in each season he has been at the club, but Manchester United finished just eighth in the Premier League last season and look set to struggle once again this term.
The Daily Mail say United continue to hold talks with multiple managers after it was reported that Barcelona legend Xavi had emerged as a target for the Red Devils.
Other targets reportedly include Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and current Premier League boss Thomas Frank.
Xavi, considered one of the best midfielders of all time, has been out of work since leaving the Nou Camp in the summer. His stance on taking over at Manchester United is unclear.
Amorim is also believed to be a figure of interest inside Old Trafford, though he has long been tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City once the legendary manager decides to leave the Etihad Stadium.
Terzic won many admirers by taking Dortmund to the Champions League final just a few months ago. The 41-year-old surprisingly decided to leave the German club after the defeat to Real Madrid.
Frank, meanwhile, is rated as one of the best coaches in the Premier League and is said to have impressed United chiefs at the Theatre of Dreams last weekend even though his Brentford side were beaten 2-1.
The Daily Mail say Manchester United spoke to Frank – and fellow Premier League manager Marco Silva – over the summer, as well as new England boss Thomas Tuchel.
A short-term solution would be to promote Ten Hag’s assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy, who worked as a manager before returning to Manchester United to be part of Ten Hag’s coaching staff.
Speaking ahead of United’s trip to east London to face West Ham, Ten Hag said his team were being ‘held back’ by injury problems.
Manchester United suffered 45 injuries last season, more than any other Premier League side, and were without nine first-team players for Thursday’s clash in Turkey.
‘Yes, it holds us back in our levels and also in our position in the league,’ said Ten Hag. ‘When you don’t have the players available, you can’t line up the best team.
“We need more players available often,” he said. “We all have to work together on this point – the players, the coaching staff and all the other staff.
‘We have to do better at that because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and we can be really successful.’
Manchester United’s next opponents West Ham have also endured a poor start to the season and sit 15th in the Premier League ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.
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