Erik Ten Hag’s future is hanging by a thread as Manchester United were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 after a 1-0 against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on December 11.
United play Liverpool next at Anfield, a place where they were handed a 7-0 loss which is their biggest in the Premier League (PL) to date, and a loss there could potentially end the Dutchman’s time at the Manchester club.
The management of the club is already considering replacements, with names like Julien Lopetegui and Graham Potter leading the race to become the new boss of the 20-time PL champions.
According to The Sun, United’s incoming investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already met former Chelsea’s Graham Potter and considers him one of the favourites to replace Ten Hag if the latter gets sacked in the upcoming days.
The English manager was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 and has been out of work since then. Ratcliffe wanted him to take the realm of Nice, a French club he owns, but Potter turned the opportunity down.
Potter became a well-known figure among the football fraternity after his heroics with Brighton, where he guided the club to their then-highest finish, which was ninth.
Meanwhile, according to Relevo, a Spanish news outlet, former Real Madrid boss Julien Lopetegui is another favourite to be named United’s head coach if Ten Hag's time with The Red Devils comes to an end.
Lopetegui left Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer and despite offers from the Saudi Pro League, the manager remained jobless as he wants to continue coaching in Europe.
The Spaniard was approached by a Saudi club where he was offered a whopping €18m per year but he didn’t accept it.
It must be noted that United sit six on the Premier League (PL) points table with just 27 points from 16 matches.
They also lost to Bournemouth at home during the weekend, a 3-0 win that saw the visitors record their first-ever win at Old Trafford.