Next Man Utd manager: Gareth Southgate, Simone Inzaghi, Zinedine Zidane & the best Erik ten Hag replacements – ranked

Here we go again! After yet another dismal defeat for Manchester United, Erik ten Hag’s position as manager is once again coming under intense scrutiny. There were mitigating circumstances surrounding Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham at Old Trafford, at least in the sense that Bruno Fernandes’ harsh red card killed off any chance the hosts had of turning the game around.

However, United had been dreadful even before their captain’s dismissal and there’s simply no getting away from the fact that the supporters have had to endure far too many abject defeats on Ten Hag’s watch – even if he has managed to win two cups since taking over in 2022.

Indeed, the bottom line is that after last season’s historically bad eighth-placed finish in the Premier League, United are once again struggling, having picked up just seven points from their first six games of the current campaign.

As a result, speculation is rife that Ten Hag has just two games – against Porto and Aston Villa this week – to save his job. If he does get sacked, though, who could replace him? GOAL breaks down all the managers currently being linked with the Old Trafford hotseat…

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  11Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

  The mere fact that some supporters are pining for the return of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a sign of just how bad things have gotten under Ten Hag. United did play some fine counter-attacking football under the Norwegian, but it was clear long before the end of his tenure that he was not the man to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford – despite his incessant talk of the treble of 1999.

  Solskjaer was little more than a lame Sir Alex Ferguson tribute act and those championing his return would be wise to ask themselves why he’s not been picked up by a single club since being sacked by United all the way back in 2021. This would be a backward step in every way.

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    10Massimiliano Allegri

    There are few coaches on the market right now with a CV as impressive as that of Massimiliano Allegri, who parted company with Juventus at the end of last season. The Italian has won six Serie A titles, including five in a row during his first spell in Turin, while he also reached the Champions League final with the Bianconeri on two separate occasions.

    However, Allegri is a very strong character with a win-at-all-costs mentality that might provoke unhappy memories of Jose Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford. Allegri will always argue that the end justifies the means, and, in his defence, he did manage to get Juve back into the Champions League last season in difficult circumstances, while also winning the Coppa Italia.

    But it’s telling that an awful lot of Juve fans were happy to see the back of Allegri and his outdated and painfully boring brand of football. He might well be capable of sorting out some of United’s many problems but they might not be any better to watch!

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      9Thomas Frank

      An obligatory mention for one of the Premier League’s over-achievers, with Thomas Frank still doing a fine job at Brentford on a relatively small budget. The likeable Dane has been at the helm for nearly six years now and has been repeatedly linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent seasons.

      However, it’s hard not to suspect that if that move were going to happen, it would have been done by now. Frank is quite clearly a fine coach but it doesn’t seem he has the proven track record of success or star appeal that United are looking for in a new boss. After all, he’s yet to win a major honour.

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      8Ruud van Nistelrooy

      Ruud van Nistelrooy would represent something of a risk, given his relative lack of experience. However, he does have an awful lot going for him, given he’s an immensely popular figure at Old Trafford dating back to his playing days and did a decent job at PSV before standing down after one season in Eindhoven, citing a lack of support.

      It also just feels like Van Nistelrooy could be the man in the right place at the right time. We could easily see United appointing Ten Hag’s current No.2 as caretaker coach before then giving him the job on a full-time basis if he picked up a couple of decent results. Another Solskjaer situation, effectively.

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        7Graham Potter

        Graham Potter has been out of work since being unceremoniously sacked by Chelsea just seven months after signing a five-year contract with the club, though he has received several intriguing offers, the most recent of which came from Ajax.

        There were conflicting reports over precisely why Potter turned down the Amsterdam outfit but it’s clear that the Englishman is waiting for the right job at the right time. Would United fit the bill? You’d have to imagine so. It remains one of the most prestigious positions in world football and the word is that Potter was considered as a Ten Hag alternative during the summer. He also impressed several watching United fans with his tactical analysis during an appearance on Sky Sports on Monday night.

        However, after struggling to impose himself amid the constant chaos at Stamford Bridge, would he fare any better at the pressure-cooker that is Old Trafford?

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        6Gareth Southgate

        An appointment that appears to make an awful lot of sense. Gareth Southgate is looking for a return to club management after eight years in the international game, during which he led England to two European Championship finals.

        Of course, some United fans have some serious and legitimate concerns over Southgate’s conservative tactics, which saw him accused of failing to get the very best out of a group of top young attacking talents. However, he is a very popular figure and undeniably did a great job restoring pride in the Three Lions. Old Trafford would certainly benefit from the positive energy Southgate’s arrival would generate right now, as he has many loyal supporters in the English press.

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          5Zinedine Zidane

          If United are looking for a manager that would excite the supporters and immediately command the respect of the dressing room, then they need look no further than Zinedine Zidane. Every player on the planet reveres the Frenchman, one of the finest footballers the game has ever seen and a three-time Champions League-winning coach.

          However, Zidane has been out of the game since stepping down as Real Madrid coach (for a second time) in 2021 and it is thought that he is waiting for the France job, with Didier Deschamps still under pressure after an uninspiring Euro 2024 campaign.

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          4Thomas Tuchel

          Is it finally time for Thomas Tuchel? Perhaps, but the real question is whether he’d even want the job. It was widely reported that the German met with Sir Jim Ratcliffe in France during the summer but ultimately decided against making himself available, preferring instead to take an extended break from the game after his tumultuous tenure at Bayern Munich.

          Tuchel’s critics will point to the fact that he’s a challenging character who rarely stays long at a club, but he also has a well-earned reputation for making an instant impact wherever he goes, even winning the Champions League less than six months after taking over at Chelsea.

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            3Kieran McKenna

            After leading Ipswich into the Premier League after back-to-back promotions, Kieran McKenna was understandably a man in demand during the summer, with Chelsea and Brighton both keen on hiring the 38-year-old, who eventually signed a lucrative new contract at Portman Road that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in England.

            However, it was claimed that McKenna had been waiting to see if United got rid of Ten Hag, as he was reportedly keen on returning to Old Trafford, where he had previously worked under Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

            McKenna’s also a boyhood fan of the club and if United do belatedly sack Ten Hag, the Northern Irishman would be a popular choice among supporters who’ve been following his exploits at Ipswich closely over the past few years. If INEOS are looking to start over, with a new, long-term project guided by a promising young coach that knows the club, then McKenna is probably the man. The size of the compensation package might be an issue, though, as his new, £6 million-a-year deal runs until 2028…

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            2Ruben Amorim

            Every time a top Premier League job becomes available, Ruben Amorim’s name pops up – but he’s still at Sporting CP. For how much longer, though? Amorim is working wonders in Lisbon, with Sporting once again riding high at the top of the Primeira Liga with a flawless record of seven wins from seven games. The Portuguese outfit also kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over Lille.

            Amorim, though, has shown great loyalty to Sporting despite constant interest in his services. He really doesn’t seem in any real rush to leave Portugal, which is understandable given he’s still only 39. However, the ex-Pourtugal international really should be on United’s radar, given he took over at the Jose Alvalade when Sporting were in total disarray, and without a title in nearly 20 years. They’re now seeking a third in five seasons.

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              1Simone Inzaghi

              After doing a fine job with few resources at Lazio, Inzaghi has turned Inter into one of the top teams in Europe. Had it not been for Romelu Lukaku’s dreadful finishing, in fact, the Nerazzurri may well have ended up beating Manchester City in the 2023 Champions League final.

              The Italian champions’ domestic form has been a little patchy this term but their coach once again showed with a 0-0 draw at the Etihad that he is more than capable of causing problems for Pep Guardiola.

              All things considered, Inzaghi is probably the outstanding candidate for the United job – he’s a modern, versatile and successful coach that can not only organise a team but get them playing good, attacking football – but it is worth noting that he extended his Inter contract until 2026 during the summer.