NEXT MAN UTD MANAGER: RATCLIFFE ROCKED AS POTENTIAL TEN HAG SUCCESSOR SIGNS ELSEWHERE

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been dealt a blow as one of the managers tipped to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United has signed elsewhere.

It remains to be seen if Ten Hag will keep his job at Old Trafford heading into next season. The Red Devils have fallen below expectations this season and the manager’s long-term future has been up in the air for quite some time.

In March, TEAMtalk sources exclusively revealed that Ten Hag is seen as a ‘dead man walking’ at Old Trafford as several senior players at believe the Dutchman will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

Of course, Man Utd could change their stance on Ten Hag, especially if the club is successful in the FA Cup. While they have underperformed in the league and Champions League, the club could still win some silverware this year.

In the past, Ratcliffe has refused to discuss the future of Ten Hag, although from the outside looking in, it’s clear to see that he is under increasing pressure.

“I’m not going to comment on Erik ten Hag because it would be inappropriate to do that,” Ratcliffe told club media.

“But if you look at the 11 years that have gone since David Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson have stepped down, there have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good. And none of them were successful, or survived for very long.

“And you can’t blame all the coaches. The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were working didn’t work.”

A number of different names have been linked with the Man Utd hot seat in recent months, but one of their top targets has seemingly been ruled out of the race.

Julian Nagelsmann signs elsewhere

Earlier this month, The Independent reported that Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann is of ‘increasing interest’ to Man Utd if they do decide to sack Ten Hag.

Nagelsmann’s deal with Germany was set to expire after the Euros, but as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, he’s since signed a fresh contract extension.

“Julian Nagelsmann has signed new deal as German national team head coach until World Cup 2026,” Romano confirmed on X.

Upon signing a contract extension with Germany, Nagelsmann said: “This is a decision of the heart. It is a great honour to be able to coach the national team. We can inspire the country.”

With Nagelsmann now off the table for Man Utd, the club will be forced to consider alternative options, or they could decide to stick with Ten Hag.

In recent months, the likes of Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter have also been linked with the Man Utd job. However, Romano recently confirmed that the club has not made contact with any of these managers as of yet.

“At the moment, they haven’t made contact with Graham Potter, Gareth Southgate or Julian Nagelsmann, from what I understand,” Romano said.

“INEOS know Graham Potter very well because they wanted him at Nice. For sure, he is a manager who is appreciated, but it doesn’t mean that they appreciate the same manager for Nice and Manchester United.

“They didn’t make recent contact with Graham Potter for the Manchester United job, from what I understand, so that’s the situation around him.”

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2024-04-19T13:17:54Z dg43tfdfdgfd