Some, if not many, believe Erik ten Hag is running on borrowed time as Manchester United boss. It could be only a matter of time before Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the powers-that-be at Old Trafford decide to part ways with Ten Hag and begin a new era.
The Red Devils are off to their worst start to a Premier League campaign in 35 years with eight points from seven matches including heavy defeats to rival Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. The poor start to the season comes off the back of last year's campaign when United collected just nine points after seven matches.
It's been the same story in the UEFA Europa League. United conceded a late goal at home in a 1–1 draw against FC Twente—one ten Hag's former clubs during his playing days—and threw away a 2–0 lead against FC Porto, eventually drawing 3–3 dropping more points.
Yes, Ten Hag has delivered silverware in the form of an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup. However, the team has significantly regressed since his first season in charge in the 2022–23 season. United has no identity when compared to teams challenging for the title like Arsenal or Manchester City, or those with new management in recent years like Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Should the Man Utd board make the decision to part ways with Ten Hag, here are five potential options to replace him on the touchline.
Sérgio Conceição
He might not be the most flashy name available at the moment, but Sérgio Conceição has what it takes to deliver under pressure at a big club with expectations—his record with FC Porto in the Portuguese first division speaks for itself.
While Liga Portugal and the Premier League aren't the exactly the same, Porto is expected to compete and win its league every season alongside Benfica and Sporting CP. Several years ago, that same expectation was at Old Trafford for United for the team to compete for major honors every season alongside rivals Manchester City and Conceição could help them get back to that point.
His playing style might not be as entertaining as Ange Postecoglou's or Fabian Hürzeler's but it would still be a step up from Ten Hag and moving in the direction in a rebuild.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
The former Man Utd striker joined the backroom staff as an assistant manager over the summer. There's a belief that if Ten Hag is fired, Van Nistelrooy can just slot in as interim manager for the rest of the season.
In his only season as PSV manager, Van Nistelrooy guided the team to a second place finish seven points off league winner Feyenoord. He resigned with one match remaining in the season just one year into his three-year contract calling out the lack of support within the club. He won the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield (equivalents to the FA Cup and Community Shield in England) in his single season.
The last former player to take over as manager (Ole Gunnar Solskjær) didn't work out well, but for how easy the transition would be Van Nisteloory can't be overlooked. Some even believe he was brought in as assistant manager to take over for Ten Hag should he get fired early in the season.
This might be the most likely of the options available considering it gives the board time to evaluate candidates until the summer.
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate is one of the most heavily-linked names with the United job should Ten Hag be relieved of his coaching duties. While Southgate couldn't get the England over the line in finals, he still improved a team and pulled everyone in the same direction during his tenure.
Southgate's style of play wasn't easy on the eye but it still got important results in tournaments for the Three Lions. There's always the idea that Southgate could take over for two to three seasons to build the foundations before another coach comes in to take over and get the team back to winning trophies consistently.
Southgate also knows how to utilize the likes of Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire given his time with then in the England camp.
Southgate said at a European Club Association event in Athens that he needs a year off before taking on a new job, but never say never.
Thomas Tuchel
Like Southgate, Thomas Tuchel is another high-profile name that continues to be linked with the potentially vacant United post. Tuchel is arguably the most qualified candidate on the list to step in and get the most out of the current players like he did at Chelsea and briefly at Bayern Munich.
Tuchel isn't really the coach that United should go for if it's thinking more long-term, however. He would still be a great option but is known to clash with higher-ups which could be a red flag for decision makers. His style of play is also not the prettiest but it would help United cut down on conceding goals for fun every weekend.
Thomas Frank
Sticking with the theme of non-English managers named Thomas, Brentford's Thomas Frank should be the ideal candidate to take the reigns at Old Trafford. Frank passes all the tests that all the other candidates listed don't: He has Premier League experience, can switch up his tactical approach, gets the most of players with limited resources, is an excellent motivator and comes across well.
When Brentford first gained promotion to the English top flight for the first time in nearly 75 years, he took no chances with his playing style and made the Bees a tough team to beat with players like Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo striking on the counter. However, as Brentford managed to stay up and establish itself in the Premier League, we've seen it play a more expansive style of soccer under Frank.
There are only two real negatives in trying to pry Frank away from Brentford. For starters, he's under contract with the Bees through the 2026–27 season, meaning United would have to pay a decent fee to get him on the touchline. According to GiveMeSport, Frank makes approximately $5.8m per season.
The other aspect to this is that Frank could simply turn down the United job because of what he's built at Brentford and his future plans for the team. On the surface level, he has security at Brentford that he might not ever get at Old Trafford and he's adored by the Brentford fans. However, there's always the chance that he might want to prove himself at a club like United as it will be a real challenge to turn around the club.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Erik Ten Hag Replacements: Five Options if Man Utd Fires the Manager.
