Erik ten Hag’s days are now numbered as Manchester United manager, and despite 2 trophies in 2 seasons, including a huge FA Cup final success last summer, the boost around the club has not occurred this campaign, and the results are at an all-time low level. With club records being broken weekly in a negative sense, morale within and around the club is rock bottom, and given that the new hierarchy at the club were already touting for a potential Ten Hag replacement in the summer, it’s now looking more likely than ever that the club pull the trigger before the season completely crumbles.

In this post, we have picked out 5 of the biggest potential rumoured targets for the role and looked at what they could bring to Old Trafford. With a club legend, former colleagues, footballing icon and a future managerial star on our list, we’ve narrowed down the 20+ names that have been spoken about to our top 5 selections for replacing Ten Hag in the dugout at Old Trafford.

As always, if you have any thoughts on Manchester United this season or the potential replacement for Ten Hag, get in touch with us by leaving a comment, following us on Bluesky (@NextGoalWinner) or Instagram (@NextGoalWin) and check out our YouTube channel (@NextGoalWinner).

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Having returned to Old Trafford in the summer in a surprising appointment, Van Nistelrooy left PSV Eindhoven at the end of the last season and rather than pushing for a move to the various clubs who showed interest in the former Striker, Ruud opted to return to Manchester United as a part of the Ten Hag backroom staff shake-up. With many speculating this move may have had some behind the scenes discussions about succeeding Ten Hag if the manager underperformed again this season, it may seem that he could offer a quick and seamless transition in managerial change. With a similar situation to the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointment to boost morale around the club, Ruud could do something similar while giving the ownership credit of long-term succession planning from the summer.

Pros: He’s already at the club, he’s a club legend and both fans and players seem to enjoy seeing him at the club. While United need much more than just a morale boost, this could be another case of a season-long appointment to steady the ship, and if done well we could see a longer-term appointment of Ruud if improve under his guidance.

Cons: Of all the managers listed, Ruud van Nistelrooy has the least experience of top-flight management. With his only major role being manager of PSV, this doesn’t suggest he would have the top level experience on the coaching side, however with a new improved hierarchy above the manager, this could be a perfect fit, and of course he has played for many elite clubs in his time suggesting he knows how this all works.

Graham Potter

Having been out of work since the failed Chelsea spell, Potter has been linked with near enough every job going as people expect him to be ready to return to management in the near future. While his Chelsea pay-out is surely seeing him alright while he remains unemployed, Potter could be a good fit at Old Trafford as his style of play and work with Brighton has plenty of credit in many fan’s eyes despite the Chelsea blip.

Additionally going in Potter’s favour is that his successful spell at Brighton was working alongside Dan Ashworth and given how United pushed for the director of football to join the new structure at Old Trafford, this could add further fuel to the fire of seeing a former colleague take the reigns at United in a structure that has a proven record of success both on the pitch, and in the boardroom with great signings and a strong footballing structure.

Pros: Potter has worked with director of football Dan Ashworth before during his successful spell at Brighton, and although he has been out of the game for some time, Potter has the credit of producing results, developing a strong squad and playing some pretty good football.

Cons: Given his failed spell at Chelsea, United fans would question this appointment as despite the Brighton success and reasonable successes at other clubs around Europe, Potter has yet to prove himself with one of the ‘elite’ sides in football. Although Brighton are outperforming United in recent years, the pressure of this role could break a manager who struggled with the media in his last role.

Gareth Southgate

Having reached another final in the summer, Southgate stepped away from his England role with a huge amount of credit for the achievements reached, and although there was no silverware to come from this, most football fans would accept his spell as England manager has been a success, even if there will still be underlying questions over if his style of play and cautious approach at times perhaps was a hurdle in the finals.

Thinking about Southgate’s choice as United manager, this would make sense, as the pressure of dealing with England at major tournaments is one of the few roles comparable to Manchester United manager. With millions of fans questioning every decision and comment, he has a proven ability to get the media on side, produce a strong harmony in the squads and get a team to major finals. Alongside this, he, like Potter, has worked with Ashworth in his previous role, and so this would likely help for United to put in to place an ‘England-like’ structure from the boardroom down to the pitch.

Pros: Having a proven record of bringing harmony to a team, having worked with Ashworth previously and dealing with immense scrutiny, Southgate could be one of the few managers to feel comfortable in the chaotic atmosphere of Manchester United.

Cons: Given his inability to bring silverware to England, he will need to hit the ground running to convince many fans. Being seen as the ‘cautious’ appointment, and given some of the other names being speculated, Southgate would be one of the big appointment choices which I expect would bring some fan backlash initially.

Xavi

With a La Liga title to his name as manager of Barcelona, Xavi has also won literally everything available in his playing career, a reputation alongside the likes of Zidane in being able to walk into the Carrington training complex and demand an improvement in the playing level from the current crop. With previous squad issues, player revolt and clashes between players and staff, Xavi could demand more, and back it up as the quote goes “put your medals on the table”.

Although his Barcelona spell came to an abrupt end, the club are in as big of a mess at United at the time, and to have won La Liga when he did, even this deserves a huge amount of credit. While Barcelona decided not to keep Xavi, I think a fair amount of Barca fans would have kept him in the role if they had the power to do so, suggesting his style of play and ability to lead is well respected among many.

Pros: Having a La Liga title to his name in a managerial sense, and everything in a playing capacity, he can improve many young talents being developed, while also having the reputation to demand the respect of the senior squad. Bringing in a level of harmony, and some attacking style of football could be plenty to bring United back to the top.

Cons: According to reports, Xavi has not been contacted by United and expects to be out of football until the summer, suggesting United haven’t shown much interest in the 44 year old. Additionally, his turbulent spell at Barcelona in the dugout could leave United’s hierarchy with some questions as they will likely look for a long term steady appointment who can work within a larger system at board level, which Xavi may have struggled with at the Nou Camp.

Ruben Amorim

Having been heavily linked with Liverpool as the replacement for Klopp, and also then becoming pretty close to the managerial role at West Ham, Amorim has earnt a huge amount of admirers in English football for his success at Sporting. With a reputation of being the next Mourinho, Amorim has produced some fantastic results in his time in Portuguese football, and his relationship with the club and fans is impeccable.

Having been appointed Sporting manager for the 3rd highest transfer fee for a manager after only 13 games at Braga, Amorim has clearly shown himself being destined for a top job in football, and while his Sporting team are flying, United could certainly tempt the manager to take on this huge club overhaul, and reproduce the same results as he has achieved at Sporting.

Pros: Probably one of the highest rated young coaches in world football, he’s got a proven reputation despite his young career, and given the way Sporting have started this season and their terrific success last campaign, he would be a very attractive choice for fans and for the club to bring a level of excitement over a long term appointment.

Cons: Although his success at Sporting cannot be understated, this is still some jump to the chaos at Old Trafford. Having implemented his style of play and his own setup at Sporting with the backing of the club, at United, there are many ongoing changes above the manager which could make the job less appealing for a manager who is flying high this season.

Don’t forget to let us know your preferred replacement for Ten Hag from any of these 5, or someone we didn’t include on our list, over on our social media platforms.