Manchester United have been sounding out potential replacements for Erik ten Hag, and identified a surprise candidate to take his place.
Erik ten Hag clinging on at Man Utd
Two months on from making a decision on the future of Erik ten Hag, Manchester United are seemingly on the verge of having to make another one.
An FA Cup final win over Manchester City, on the back of an awful Premier League season, persuaded the new INEOS ownership to hand the Dutchman a new contract at Old Trafford, but only after a long period in limbo in which plenty of other managers were linked with the role.
Man Utd eyeing shock new manager who already knows Vidic to replace Ten Hag
Erik ten Hag is a man under pressure…
ByTom Cunningham
That decision has not aged well, with the Red Devils currently sitting 14th in the Premier League with just eight points after seven games, their worst-ever start to a Premier League season.
Just two points ahead of newly promoted Leicester City, the Old Trafford side are already 10 points off top spot and six behind a spot in the top four, which would hand them a return to the Champions League.
Results against Aston Villa and Porto (both draws and neither convincing) have seemingly kept Ten Hag in a job at the Theatre of Dreams, but Manchester United’s hierarchy will be keeping a close eye on his games ahead of the November international break, with more poor results possibly resulting in his sacking.
Ten Hag’s fixtures to save his job?
Opponent (home/away)
Competition
Brentford (home)
Premier League
Fenerbahce (away)
Europa League
West Ham United (away)
Premier League
Leicester City (home)
EFL Cup
Chelsea (home)
Premier League
PAOK (home)
Europa League
Leicester City (home)
Premier League
And, perhaps indicative of the bizarre situation around Ten Hag, it has now emerged that they were sounding out a manager to take his place as early as the summer.
Man Utd contacted Bundesliga boss
That comes courtesy of reports from Germany, who reveal that Manchester United made an approach for impressive Stuttgart boss Sebastien Hoeness over the possibility of him taking charge in the most recent summer transfer window.
The German manager, 42, has been described as a “top” manager by performance analyst Jack Fawcett on X, helped guide his Stuttgart side to second spot in the Bundesliga last season ahead of traditional giants Bayern Munich.
It is claimed that ahead of extending Ten Hag’s contract, Manchester United approached Hoeness for his availability. However, though he was flattered, he turned it down in order to coach Stuttgart in the Champions League this season, where they have managed one point from their two games.
Hoeness has also been linked with moves to Chelsea and Bayern Munich in recent months, but made it clear that he would not be leaving Stuttgart in the immediate future.
“You can definitely assume that I will also be the coach of VfB Stuttgart next year,” he said in April.
“If I had the idea of moving, then I certainly wouldn’t have extended my contract. I’m here out of conviction because I have the feeling that we can develop something together here. Nothing has changed from my perspective.”
That statement is likely to hold true six months on, meaning that should United be keen to replace Ten Hag imminently, they may well be forced to look elsewhere.