13 December 2023 , 23:50
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly held a meeting with Graham Potter – and the ex-Chelsea boss would be his first choice to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager.
Ten Hag is under huge pressure after United were dumped out of the Champions League in meek fashion with a 1-0 defeat against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The Dutchman has now lost 12 of his 24 games this season and the early exit from all European football comes as a major blow to the club.
United travel to Anfield to play Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday and a repeat of the 7-0 thrashing they received at the ground in March would see Ten Hag’s position come under threat. He is understood to be safe in the short-term, but with Ratcliffe waiting in the wings for his £1.3billion deal for 25 per cent of the club to be ratified, his long-term job security is far from guaranteed.
The Sun reports that Ratcliffe has met with Potter, who remains without a job since being sacked by Chelsea in April. Ratcliffe is a big fan of the former Swansea and Brighton coach and had previously wanted to hire him to take charge of Nice.
Potter has been linked with a few roles since being given the boot by Todd Boehly at Stamford Bridge, but remains available after rejecting the chance to replace Alex Neil at Stoke this week. The 48-year-old won just 12 of his 31 games in charge of Chelsea and lasted just seven months into his five-year deal.
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He is not the only manager who has been linked with replacing Ten Hag, should poor results continue at Old Trafford. Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui is also liked by United chiefs, with his experience of the Premier League and in Europe making him a possibility, alongside Zinedine Zidane and Roberto De Zerbi.
Graham Potter was sacked by Chelsea in April (Darren Walsh/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Who would be your first choice manager to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United? Comment below.
Ten Hag was hired in April 2022 on the understanding that he was taking over a long-term project. He is under contract until June 2025, but is now enduring his most difficult spell upon reaching the halfway point of his deal.
The current United hierarchy are understood to be sympathetic to the injury crisis, which could leave him without as many as 13 players for the trip to Liverpool on Sunday. He has also had to deal with problems away from the pitch involving Jadon Sancho, Antony and Mason Greenwood, as well as the protracted nature of the takeover.
But having spent over £170m in the summer to bring in Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana and over £200m in the summer of 2022 to sign Casemiro, Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia, results are well below expectations. The early exit from European football is estimated to cost United around £28m in income and the arrival of Ratcliffe and INEOS comes at a bad time for Ten Hag.
Ratcliffe’s arrival has been preceded by an audit being conducted by Sir Dave Brailsford and chief executive Richard Arnold is unlikely to be the only person to leave their roles. Ratcliffe has a reputation for being a ruthless businessman and he won’t stand by idly if Ten Hag cannot improve results.