With Erik ten Hag’s tenure at Manchester United possibly coming to an end, fans have varied opinions on his successor, with Thomas Tuchel being the frontrunner.
The 54-year-old coach faces a crucial period as the team’s winless streak extended to five matches after their draw with Aston Villa, leaving them in 14th place in the Premier League.
Co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer met with CEO Omar Berrada and sports director Sir Dave Brailsford at Old Trafford on Monday. They also held discussions in London the next day, where Ten Hag’s future was among the topics addressed.
Amid these discussions, Ten Hag is focused on improving the team and is not preoccupied with his job security. He noted that if he were under pressure, management would have informed him after the match at Villa Park, stating, “They should have told me, as I don’t understand why things would change. We have very open communication.” He added, “We talk every day, so I expect to have discussions with them.”
Acknowledging the external criticisms, he mentioned, “We are disappointed internally and know we need to do better, especially in scoring more goals.” Several candidates have been mentioned as potential replacements for the Dutch manager, including Thomas Tuchel, the former Chelsea coach. Others like Gareth Southgate and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ten Hag’s assistant, have also been suggested for interim leadership.
In a poll conducted by the Manchester Evening News, Tuchel received the highest support at 29%, followed by Zinedine Zidane at 16%. Ruud van Nistelrooy secured 12%, while Simone Inzaghi and Massimiliano Allegri each received 6%. Michael Carrick got 5%, with Southgate, Graham Potter, and Kieran McKenna attracting the least support at 3% and 4%.
