Football writer Alex Keble looks at the contenders to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager, according to media reports.

After 850 days and 128 games in charge of Manchester United, manager Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday morning following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United the previous day. 

He departs Old Trafford an FA Cup and EFL Cup winner, but also as the man who led the club to their lowest-ever Premier League finish last season, eighth.

Whoever comes next will be expected to improve significantly on performances last season – and get United, languishing in 14th, up the table as quickly as possible. 

Here’s a look at the six main candidates rumoured to be in with a shot: 

Ruben Amorim 

Sporting Lisbon’s 39-year-old manager is one of the most highly-rated tacticians in Europe and looks destined to go all the way to the top. 

Plucked from Braga for a reported €10million after just 13 games in charge of the club in March 2020, Amorim ended Sporting’s 19-year wait for the Primeira Liga title the following season before winning the competition for the second time in 2023/24. 

A flexible but progressive tactician with admirers across Europe, interest in Amorim has increased in 2024/25 following impressive displays in the Champions League, with seven points from three games so far, and a perfect nine-game winning start in the Primeira Liga. 

United are widely reported to be in talks with Amorim, although rumours have been circulating that Manchester City are interested in hiring the Portuguese should Pep Guardiola leave in the summer. 

Gareth Southgate 

Man Utd sporting director Dan Ashworth was England’s head of elite development during the first two years of Southgate’s tenure as England manager, which explains rumoured interest in a manager who oversaw an important cultural reset at the FA. 

Southgate led England to successive UEFA European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024 and yet throughout his tenure the 54-year-old faced questions regarding his tactical acumen. But inews claimed earlier this year that when ten Hag leaves, he could be the one to step in.

Having only previously managed Middlesbrough at club level, between 2006 and 2009, hiring Southgate would suggest the United hierarchy are prioritising psychological attributes over tactical. 

Southgate was unavailable back in May, due to his England commitments, and it is not known whether Southgate would consider the role now, having recently said he is “certain” he won’t coach in the next year. 

Ruud van Nistelrooy 

A United goalscoring legend from the Sir Alex Ferguson era taking interim charge of the first team: where have we seen that before? 

Possession is nine tenths of the law and like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before him Van Nistelrooy may benefit from a kind run of Premier League games on the horizon: Chelsea and Leicester City at home, and trips to Ipswich Town and Everton in the next four. 

In his sole season in charge of PSV, in 2022/23, they were runners-up in the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup champions, and although Nistelrooy was praised for his attacking football he resigned citing a lack of support from the higher ups. 

In taking the interim job Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in 219 games for Man Utd between 2001 and 2006, has seemingly put his hat in the ring. 

Xavi 

A potentially more complicated appointment would be ex-Barcelona manager Xavi, who is said to have held talks with United “twice in the last few months”, say the Daily Mail, but who according to Spanish newspaper Marca is unwilling to cut short his year-long break from the game. 

After winning seven trophies in 97 matches in charge of Qatari side Al Sadd, Xavi spent two-and-a-half years as Barcelona manager, where he won LaLiga in 2022/23 before being sacked the following May. 

His time back at the Nou Camp wasn’t without its difficulties.  

Barcelona never quite played the attractive possession-based football Xavi was expected to coach, and by the end of an exhausting time in charge he was in need of a long break. 

Thomas Frank 

The Brentford manager has reportedly long being on United’s radar and an impressive start to the 2024/25 season, taking the west London club to ninth in the table, has put him in the frame.

In his six years as manager, Frank has taken the Bees from mid-table in the Championship to Premier League regulars, earning plaudits for his tactically intelligent football throughout four consecutive years in the top flight. 

The step up from Brentford to Man Utd is a big one, of course, and Frank would not come cheap. But of all the candidates on the reported shortlist, he has by far the most Premier League experience. 

When asked whether he would welcome the opportunity to speak with United on Monday, he said: “It’s a very delicate question and I have a big responsibility to Brentford football club and its fans, the leadership, staff, players and I have one focus.

“That’s to do the very best against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup. I’ve said many times I’m happy here. I think it’s one of the best clubs in the world. What happens in the future, who knows, but I’m very, very happy here.”

He was first linked by the Telegraph earlier this year.

Zinedine Zidane 

Despite being linked with practically every big job that becomes available Zidane has remained out of work since leaving Real Madrid way back in 2021. 

Zidane won La Liga and three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles during his first spell at Real, before later returning to win LaLiga again in 2019/20.  

It was an unprecedented spell of success for the Spanish giants but Zidane, who was previously approached by United when Solskjaer departed in 2021, is reportedly unlikely to manage in the Premier League because he cannot speak English. 

The World Cup winner was first linked back in 2021 by TalkSPORT. 

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