The expected has finally happened, as Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman barely escaped the sack at the end of last year after he led his team to a 13th FA Cup trophy in May.
However, the results didn't improve, and the Red Devils are currently stuck in 14th position in the league. With Ten Hag sacked, here are the five managers who could replace him on the touchline at Old Trafford.
5 Managers who could succeed Ten Hag at Manchester United
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Let's go with the obvious choice first and that is the man who was the assistant to Erik ten Hag. Ruud Van Nistelrooy returned to Manchester United in the summer. Many were surprised at his appointment considering he was a full-time manager at PSV Eindhoven between 2022 and 2023. People expected him to take another managerial stint in Europe.
When Van Nistelrooy was appointed, some Manchester United fans believed that INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have already decided on their next manager if Ten Hag was given the sack. As far as today's developments, Van Nistelrooy is the interim manager at Manchester United. However, we have seen storylines with interim managers before at Manchester United.
One is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who transformed Manchester United into an exciting team again and even knocked Paris Saint Germain out of the Champions League. After being appointed full-time manager, Solskjaer took the Reds to third and second positions in the Premier League.
The other is Ralf Ragnick, under whom Manchester United's form completely collapsed. The former Bundesliga manager reportedly had a rift with multiple players in the dressing room and wasn't able to secure full-time status at Old Trafford beyond May 2022.
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate is not popular amongst the Manchester United fanbase. However, The Mirror reports indicate that the Englishman has a good relationship with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Southgate's name circulated around Old Trafford before the end of last season, when Ten Hag was almost certain to lose his job.
Southgate parted ways with England manager after the European championships, where the Three Lions finished runners up. His work transforming the national team has been well-documented, as he took the side to the 2011 World Cup semifinals and the final of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.
However, Southgate's stints at the club level has not been good enough. Before England, the 54-year-old only managed Middlesbrough between 2006 and 2009 and had a winning percentage of only 30%. If Southgate gets appointed, it would be an extremely risky decision by INEOS.
Graham Potter
Graham Potter is another Englishman who seems to be heavily linked with the Manchester United job since Erik ten Hag's position was in danger. The 49-year-old has been well applauded for his work at Brighton, where he made the Premier League side competitive up against the 'Big Six'.
However, he stuttered after being appointed Chelsea manager in 2022. The Englishman was the first managerial appointment at Stamford Bridge under Todd Boehly's ownership, and it turned out to be an unsuccessful one. Considering the expectations from Brighton to Chelsea were extremely different, he wasn't able to fulfil them and had only a 38% winning ratio.
Under Potter, the Blues fell out of the top 10 in the Premier League standings. They also crashed out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals to Real Madrid. Eventually, he got sacked in April 2023 and has been out of a job since. Hence, Manchester United fans are concerned about him, considering his lack of delivery at a big club.
Kieran McKenna
Kieran McKenna, like Van Nistelrooy, is a name associated with Manchester United. The 38-year-old was an assistant coach under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before eventually entering the managerial world. He was also an Under-18s coach at Old Trafford.
After getting involved in multiple minor roles, McKenna finally landed his first managerial job at Ipswich Town. The ex-Tottenham youth prospect has been a breath of fresh air for the club, guiding them to Premier League promotion in 2024, which ended a 22-year wait to reach the English top-flight for the Tractor Boys.
McKenna was reportedly offered the Chelsea job at the start of this season, but he declined, per The Guardian. Enzo Maresca instead to took over at Stamford Bridge. Although McKenna would be linked with the job, it would be understandable if he refused and continued his career pathway.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane has been linked with Manchester United for many years. Ever since he left the managerial role at Real Madrid on the first occasion in 2018, the Frenchman was linked to replace Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford. However, the former French international returned to Los Blancos in 2019 and stayed there until 2021.
Now, with Zidane once again available, it remains to be seen if United goes for him. The former French midfielder has had a trophy-filled career as a manager at Madrid. Between 2016 and 2021, he won two La Liga titles and three Champions League thropies. However, that team was generational and had every box ticked, from defense to attack.
Manchester United's current team is nowhere near that Madrid team. Hence, Zidane would be in a rebuilding job to get the team playing in his image. However, he will be one of the candidates that would excite the fans.