Fans have differing opinions on who should replace Erik ten Hag, with Thomas Tuchel emerging as the frontrunner, particularly as Ten Hag’s time at Manchester United may be coming to an end.
After a string of five matches, culminating in a draw with Aston Villa on Sunday, the 54-year-old manager is at a critical juncture, with the team currently sitting in 14th place in the Premier League.
Co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer met with chief executive Omar Berrada and Ineos head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford at Old Trafford on Monday. Ten Hag’s future was discussed in a meeting on Tuesday in London between Ratcliffe and senior officials.
Ten Hag, however, is focused more on fixing current issues than contemplating what lies ahead. During the match at Villa Park, he mentioned that if he were under pressure, the United leadership would have informed him.
“They should have told me; I have no alternative plan. We communicate quite transparently,” he stated. “I believe I will talk with them daily since we have these discussions. You expressed it nicely—external noise. Internally, we feel let down. We need to improve, especially in terms of scoring.”
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is among the potential successors for the Dutch coach. Ten Hag’s assistant, Ruud van Nistelrooy, may take temporary charge, and Gareth Southgate has also been mentioned.
A poll conducted by the Manchester Evening News among supporters revealed nine candidates for the next manager. Tuchel received 29 percent of the votes, leading the pack, while Zinedine Zidane followed with 16 percent.
Van Nistelrooy was third with 12 percent, while former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Inter Milan head Simone Inzaghi each garnered six percent. Michael Carrick received five percent, and the lowest votes went to Kieran McKenna (four percent), Graham Potter (four percent), and Southgate (three percent).