A report from reputable source, albeit just one report, says that Manchester United is cutting ties with Erik ten Hag after this weekend’s FA Cup Final against Manchester City, win or lose.
There’s a question of “Why now?” for this report, and The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg says that United’s hierarchy do not want to “make a decision on just one game.” Another report, from Sky Sports, says United are insisting they have not made a final decision on Ten Hag.
Ten Hag led United to the League Cup last season as the Red Devils finished third in the Premier League with 75 points. The club went to the Europa League quarterfinals and lost the FA Cup Final to Manchester City.
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This season’s been much different, as the Red Devils never really got going and finished with 60 points and a minus-1 goal differential. That left them in eighth, behind Newcastle in goal differential and requiring an FA Cup Final win to return to Europe. Man United exited the League Cup after two games, falling 3-0 at home to Newcastle, and took just four of 18 points from a weak Champions League group to bow out of Europe in December.
If Ten Hag leaves, United will have a fifth full-time boss since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012-13 season, a number that hits six if you count interim boss Ralf Rangnick’s five months in charge to end the 2021-22 campaign?
Who could replace Ten Hag? Steinberg writes in his report that, "[Thomas] Tuchel is regarded as the frontrunner but it is understood United have held exploratory talks with Pochettino. They have also spoken to representatives of [Ipswich boss Kieran] McKenna, who has been targeted by Chelsea and Brighton.”
Will Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag?
Assuming the report is true, there’s a lot to unpack including the timing.
Perhaps United’s new hierarchy do not want to run the risk of uncertainty amongst the fan base and players if there were to be a historic upset of powerhouse rivals Manchester City on Saturday.
The Red Devils were poor this season, very poor relative to their historical standards. They were 10th at the end of September, eighth heading into November, and never rose higher than sixth on the table.
The club will also have no doubt seen an experienced managerial market swell to include Tuchel, Pochettino, and Xavi, with Hansi Flick reportedly set for Barcelona and both Chelsea and Bayern Munich hiring new bosses (Bayern is said to be close to adding Vincent Kompany).