Manchester United announced on Monday morning that they have parted ways with manager Erik Ten Hag following the club’s woeful start to the season.
It is easy to forget the feeling in April of 2022 when Ten Hag was announced at Manchester United.
The club and fans alike believed they had finally found the right man to bring glory back to the red side of Manchester.
“Eras come to an end,” said the Dutchman confidently. How those words may have come back to bite him.
It has been the worst start to a Premier League campaign on record, with Manchester United 14th after nine games – scoring just eight goals.
Three consecutive draws, all from winning positions, in the Europa League have added to the gloomy run of only four wins from 13 games this season.
This has caused INEOS and the Old Trafford hierarchy to dismiss Ten Hag as they look for change.
Who will be the leader of the next era in the United dugout?
Embed from Getty ImagesRuud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy will be Manchester United’s interim manager for the upcoming games, as the fan favorite returned to Old Trafford this summer.
The former striker rejoined the Red Devils as part of Ten Hag’s coaching staff, turning down a managerial role at Burnley in the process.
The Dutchman was part of the coaching staff for PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands, before he took over the former’s first team manager role in March 2022.
In his homeland, he won the 2022 Johan Cruyff Sheild and the 2022-23 KNVB Cup before resigning at the end of his first season, citing a lack of support from the board.
Although there is a risk due to his lack of experience in a senior management role, the 48-year-old knows the benchmark of expectations at Manchester United better than anyone.
Van Nistelrooy was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2001 for a then club record fee of £19mn. He played 219 games, scored 150 goals and won the Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup with the Mancunian outfit.
He is the club’s second all-time European goalscorer, behind Wayne Rooney.
Embed from Getty ImagesRuben Amorim
Ruben Amorim continues to be linked with some of Europe’s elite clubs whenever vacancies arise.
Barcelona, Liverpool and Chelsea considered his appointment in the summer and Man City are said to have been long-term admirers of the 39-year-old.
Sporting Lisbon had gone 19 years without winning the Primeira Liga before the appointment of Amorim. Since then, they have won two in four seasons and added two consecutive Taca da Liga’s to their trophy cabinet.
Under the Portuguese coach, Sporting play an attractive style of football, scoring the most goals and conceding the least in the league this season.
They are also shrewd in the transfer window, both aspects United have struggled with over past seasons.
While on international duty this month, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes praised Amorim.
“Since Mr. Amorim arrived at Sporting, it has been one of the teams to practice better football.”
“They have been consistent; the signings have been right, and they are in a very good moment. It’s a very well-prepared team,” said Fernandes
“If he could manage to do the same in England, Spain or anywhere else, you will never know until you get there, but I am sure his qualities are there for everyone to see.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThomas Frank
Thomas Frank may feel now is the time to leave Brentford and take on a bigger challenge.
What challenge could be bigger than returning the 20-time Premier League champions to their former glory?
The Bees continue to prove doubters wrong in the topflight, currently owning the best home record in the league with zero losses to their name.
Despite having the fourth lowest wage bill, the West Londoners continue to go above and beyond every season.
Seeing what Frank could do to improve Manchester United’s current record in the transfer market would be interesting to see, especially as the Dane would have access to bigger resources than he has ever had at his disposal.
Embed from Getty ImagesGareth Southgate
After heartbreak in the summer, Gareth Southgate ruled himself out of an immediate return to football management.
The 2-1 loss to Spain in the European Championship final brought his England career to a close, but becoming the head coach of Manchester United would be a difficult role to turn down.
Southgate transformed England into competitors again, reaching successive European Championship finals, the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup and the quarterfinals four years later.
This earned him admirers at Old Trafford, most notably INEOS founder and new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
His relationship with sporting director Dan Ashworth – from their time with the FA – could be another factor that pulls Southgate towards Manchester.
Embed from Getty ImagesXavi Hernandez
Xavi Hernandez’s name alone makes him one of the most alluring options that is available for Manchester United manager.
The Spainard left Barcelona in the summer after two and a half seasons, where he won the 2022/23 La Liga title with his former team.
Xavi’s departure in April from the Catalonians was unexpected. After several days of speculation about his future, Xavi reversed his decision to leave the club and announced his intention to stay. However, in May he was relieved of his duties.
Before his return to Barca, he managed Qatari side Al Sadd and led them to seven trophies.
The legendary midfielder’s career as a player would garner instant respect from the Manchester United players.
A product of La Masia, Xavi won eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles for Barcelona, as well as the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 for Spain.
Embed from Getty ImagesOut of all of these worthy contenders, Amorim looks the most likely to be the next permanent manager of Manchester United.
Football Journalists Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein took to twitter on Monday evening to speculate that the Red Devils are “working on a deal to appoint Amorim as head coach,” and that he has given the club the “green light.”
