10 Managers Who Could Replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United [Ranked]

After Erik ten Hag led Manchester United to a top-four finish in his first season at Old Trafford, all while lifting the League Cup and making it to the FA Cup final, it was expected that the team would kick on and establish themselves as a genuine title contender during the 2023-24 campaign. But that has not proven to be the case.

Splashing close to £200 million during the summer transfer window, the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana were added to United’s ranks ahead of the current campaign. However, the Red Devils slipped further behind the teams vying for the Premier League title and eventually missed out on Champions League qualification.

Add into the mix that there are new people in charge of the football operation and Ten Hag could find himself in the danger zone regardless of ending the season with a shock FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City. There have been rumblings that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will look for a fresh start at Old Trafford. A decision is said to be edging ever closer as the ex-Ajax boss awaits the outcome of an end-of-season review.

But then the question becomes who is the most likely man to replace the United manager? In an attempt to answer that, we’ve ranked the 10 contenders from most likely to least likely.

Ranking factors

While assessing this shortlist of nine managers, several factors came into play when ranking them as potential successors to Ten Hag. Among the metrics were:

• Likelihood
  – The managers have to be attainable for the club, or have previous links to the United job. This is the key factor, otherwise we might as well have thrown in Pep Guardiola.
• Recent form
  – How well managers have performed in their current positions.
• Success
  – How many trophies have the managers won, and could they replicate that success at Old Trafford?
• Long-term option
  – Could the manager build a project at United and return them to the Premier League summit?
• Style of play
  – Do the managers in question play an exciting brand of football?

1 Gareth Southgate

Could leave England after Euro 2024

England manager Gareth Southgate appears to be the front-runner to occupy the Old Trafford dugout if Ten Hag moves on. The Three Lions’ boss has other things to focus on at the minute as he gears up towards Euro 2024 with the national side.

Speculation is rife that Southgate will step down as the England boss after the tournament, whether the team lift the trophy or not. Fabrizio Romano confirmed no contact has taken place between the manager and the club, but Ratcliffe is thought to be an admirer of Southgate’s work. With his focus being on the national team, it has been reported that United could make their move after the Euros.

Related

How Manchester United’s Team Could Look Under Gareth Southgate

If the unthinkable happened and Gareth Southgate took over at Old Trafford, this is how Manchester United’s team could look.

2 Mauricio Pochettino

Looking for a new club

Mauricio Pochettino’s surprise departure from Chelsea just days after the end of the 2023-24 Premier League season almost instantly propelled the Argentine’s name to the top of the list of many big clubs around Europe. The former Southampton and Tottenham boss has shown an ability to work with and improve young players which would make him a strong candidate to guide United’s youthful stars such as Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.

The 52-year-old is still young enough to have many years at the top of the game while also being one of the more experienced names on this list of contenders. Pochettino has previously worked with youngsters but also big personalities at Paris Saint-Germain. Without having to deal with another club to attain his services, he could be on of the strongest prospective Ten Hag replacement.

3 Thomas Tuchel

Bayern Munich manager eyeing Premier League return

One of the more successful managers who will be out of work in the summer is Thomas Tuchel. The German has experience of English football as he previously worked for Chelsea, even winning the Champions League with the Blues.

Bayern Munich missed out on the Bundesliga crown for the first time in over a decade. As a result, it was announced the two parties would part ways at the end of the campaign. Nevertheless, Tuchel is a winner, someone who could lead United back to glory. He’s ready to take over in the summer as well, and with him reportedly eager for a Premier League return, he could be one to keep an eye on.

4 Roberto De Zerbi

Highly regarded across Europe

Roberto De Zerbi is the next up-and-coming manager on the continental scene, with the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss being monitored by several top-level Premier League sides. Taking Brighton to the Europa League during his first season in charge of the Seagulls, his stock continued to rise with each passing week.

It seems only a matter of time before De Zerbi rocks up at a Champions League club and if United aren’t careful, the opportunity to bag one of Europe’s most promising bosses could pass them by. Described by Pep Guardiola as one of the most ‘influential’ managers of the last 20 years, it’s clear the Italian has plenty of admirers and is being tipped for a successful career in management.

Reports in December 2023 suggested that United could take a chance on De Zerbi if they sacked Ten Hag. But with Dean Jones claiming that the Italian is a contender to take over from Guardiola at City, United may have to act fast or else they might see their noisy neighbours get to him first.

5 Kieran McKenna

Kieran McKenna has history with the Red Devils after being part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching staff during his time in charge of the club. The young boss has gone on to achieve big things since exiting United as he gained back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town.

After taking the Tractor Boys back into the English top flight for the first time in over 20 years, there was speculation McKenna would be on the managerial shortlist of Chelsea after Pochettino’s departure, but that failed to materialise. He has since signed a new contract, but the lure of Man United could still be too strong.

6 Graham Potter

Former Chelsea boss among favourites

There have been rumours linking Graham Potter to the hot seat at Old Trafford, so it’s unsurprising that he’s among the favourites to replace Ten Hag. Although things didn’t work out for him at Stamford Bridge, his brilliant work with Brighton still makes him a hot commodity. With several changes being put in place behind the scenes, Ratcliffe may believe that with the right support and structure, Potter could find more success.

Someone capable of building a long-term project and playing exciting football, it was reported back in December that Potter was one of the preferred choices by INEOS to succeed the Dutchman if the decision was made to let him go. It remains to be seen if the Englishman will be given another shot at the big time, however.

7 Thomas Frank

Overperformed with Brentford for several years

Thomas Frank’s stock may be falling slightly due to Brentford’s underwhelming 2023/24 season. However, the Bees’ passionate boss has been performing miracles at the G-tech Community Stadium. The fact that the club are now seen as an established Premier League outfit is largely down to the phenomenal work the Dane has done to galvanise his talented group of players.

Expected to take up a job with a club higher up in the world of football, Frank could well land in the home dugout of Old Trafford rather than the away one next term. There are stronger contenders on this list as Frank’s style of play at Brentford doesn’t necessarily match the values of Man United quite as well as his rivals for the post.

8 Zinedine Zidane

Constantly linked with the United job

You’d be forgiven for thinking Zinedine Zidane has previous connections to Man Utd, such is the constant reference to him whenever the chat about a new Red Devils boss comes around. So far that hasn’t been the case, but the Frenchman certainly appears to be on the club’s radar.

A winner of three consecutive Champions League titles during his time as Real Madrid boss, Zidane certainly has the calibre to go into the dressing room and command respect from their under-performing talents. Interestingly enough, Zidane has spoken about taking charge of United in the past, suggesting his poor English skills could prevent him from being appointed manager. That said, the legendary midfielder did hint he wouldn’t rule anything out, claiming he would ‘never say never’ to the job at Old Trafford.

Related

12 Best Football Managers Out of Work This Summer (Ranked)

With the summer looming and many clubs looking for new managers, GIVEMESPORT have ranked the top 12 candidates that will be on the market.

9 Ruben Amorim

Young manager making waves at Sporting

Touted by many as the next Jose Mourinho, Ruben Amorim is finding suitors across the world, with one of them potentially being the higher-ups at INEOS. Having spent much of his playing days at Benfica, he now finds himself at the helm of one of their competitors, Sporting CP.

Since his arrival, the 39-year-old has restored some glory to the Lisbon outfit, playing an exciting brand of football and managing to secure two league titles, a Portuguese Super Cup and two Portuguese League Cups to go along with the one he secured during his time at Braga. A move to Old Trafford would undoubtedly be a step up, but one he would be confident in making.

Ruben Amorim’s Managerial Record
Games managed	230
Win percentage	70.4%
Trophies won	6

10 Xavi

Former Barcelona head coach now on the market

Xavi is another manager who is now without a club. The Spaniard originally decided to leave Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 season before performing a dramatic U-turn and announcing he would be sticking around at Camp Nou. However, bosses at the Spanish club opted to sack him and replace him with Hansi Flick anyway.

Having won La Liga in his first season in the Barcelona dugout, there are likely to still be some elite clubs interested in hiring the former Spain midfielder. Xavi’s perhaps not one of the most likely options for United, but there’s a good chance they will at least take a glance in his direction.

Xavi’s Managerial Record
Games managed	239
Win percentage	65.7%
Trophies won	5

All statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt (Correct as of 07/06/24)