Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag
Credit: Reuters Photo
'Eras come to an end', Erik Ten Hag had said when he took on the position as Manchester United's manager after a largely successful stint at Ajax. What was a jibe at ending Manchester City and Liverpool's dominance in the Premier League seems to have backfired on the Dutchman, who The Guardian reports is certain to get the axe irrespective of United's performance in the FA Cup final tonight against Man City.
Since Ten Hag joined, City managed to win the treble - FA Cup, EPL, and the Champions League in the 2022-23 season. United won the EFL Cup and qualified for Champions League.
In the 2023-24 season, Pep's City again clinched the Premier League title, while Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool won the EFL Cup, with the German departing after a largely laudable time at Merseyside.
United, meanwhile, crashed out of the Champions League in the Group Stage and have finished 8th on the PL table, their worst performance in history.
Despite the terrible run of luck, Ten Hag has blamed it on the many injuries - 21 players were injured and 1,620 days were lost to those on sidelines. He has also expressed confidence in continuing as the gaffer, after meeting with new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe.
Even as the Dutchman says he's going on vacation on Sunday, after today's game, as per Associated Press, reports have emerged that United has been in contact with different managers. This came even before The Guardian exclusive that claims Ten Hag's departure is all but done.
So, who could Manchester United be bringing on as the next manager?
Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel
Credit: Reuters Photo
Tuchel, who has previously coached Borussia Dortmund, PSG, and Chelsea—winning the 2021 Champions League with the Blues—appears to be the frontrunner for the job, as per The Guardian. His latest stint at Bayern Munich, a largely forgettable one, saw the Bundesliga giants failing to clinch the league after 11 years. They also crashed out of the Champions League.
Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino
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Pochettino has had extensive experience in English football with Southampton, and then managing Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. His time with Spurs saw him take them to their maiden Champions League final, but a string of poor results in 2019 led to his ouster.
Pochettino then moved to PSG where he won the Ligue 1 title. He came to Chelsea and struggled initially, but somewhat managed to turn the Blues around, as their last few games have shown. Nonetheless, the London club, notorious for quickly changing managers when results are not satisfactory, parted ways with Pochettino.
Evening Standard reported that Pochettino is on United's radar.
Kieran McKenna
Kieran McKenna
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The former Manchester United youth coach could be back to manage the first team, after two fantastic seasons with Ipswich Town which saw the club getting promoted to EFL Championship from League One in the 2022-23 season, and then promoted to the Premier League in the 2023-24 season.
Sky Sports reported that United have met with representatives of McKenna, though there is interest from Chelsea as well, after they parted ways with Pochettino.
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank
Credit: Reuters Photo
Frank has had a stellar run with Brentford and there were rumours that he might be departing if a bigger club came knocking. He has been, as a result, linked to United as well as Chelsea.
However, Mirror reported him say that managing Brentford was 'close to the perfect football life', seemingly shutting down any rumours about a possible switch.
Social media buzz has also indicated the club's interest in Roberto De Zerbi, who managed Brighton till now and earned high praise from Pep Guardiola for his ability to make the team build out play from the back.
Louis Saha, the former United player, also expressed an interest in former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane taking on the managerial role, though there has been no rumoured or official progress reported on these fronts.