Man Utd: Ten Hag ‘no longer a candidate’ for job as Euro giants swiftly end ‘talks’ after Palace drubbing
Erik ten Hag is reportedly no longer a target for Bayern
Four hours after saying Erik ten Hag was being considered for the Bayern Munich job, German journalist Christian Falk has claimed the Manchester United manager is ‘no longer a candidate’.
Ten Hag emerged as a surprise candidate to replace Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena after the Bundesliga giants failed in their attempts to appoint Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick.
There is a strong possibility the Dutchman is available at the end of the season with his position as Manchester United boss under extreme scrutiny.
The pressure has been on Ten Hag for weeks amidst the Red Devils’ wildly inconsistent form this season, and Monday’s 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace has left him under incredible scrutiny.
It was not just the scoreline that will leave United fans, players and board members fuming, but the horrific performance across the board, especially from makeshift centre-back Casemiro, who has been told to move to Saudi Arabia or MLS by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Man Utd boss Ten Hag ‘no longer a candidate’ for Bayern job
Moving to Bayern after struggling so much at Old Trafford would certainly be a case of falling upwards, but it looks like the Bavarians are no longer considering the former Ajax manager.
Posting on X on Tuesday afternoon, German journalist Falk claimed: ‘FC Bayern are discussing among others this three candidates for the new Manager of FC Bayern: Hansi Flick, Erik ten Hag (@ManUtd), Roberto de Zerbi, also although he said that he want to stay at @OfficialBHAFC.’
A mere four hours later, Falk has claimed that Bayern have decided against pursuing Ten Hag, with talks between sporting director Max Eberl and those above him ‘not to be continued’.
‘Erik ten Hag is no longer a candidate to succeed Thomas Tuchel at FC Bayern,’ he wrote on X. ‘There were talks between Max Eberl and the management. These talks will not be continued.’
Fabrizio Romano’s CaughtOffside column on Tuesday morning claimed that Bayern do ‘appreciate’ Ten Hag, who will not be sacked before the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Man Utd season has been alarmingly bad
It has been a dismal campaign for United after a positive debut season for Ten Hag, who guided the Red Devils to a third-place finish in the Premier League and Carabao Cup glory.
From their current league position to their defensive record, Ten Hag’s side have been abysmal to watch at times, from a United point of view that is. Rival fans are reveling in their misery.
Defeat at Selhurst Park on Monday was their 13th of the league season – already a club record in the Premier League era, with three games remaining – and left them eighth in the table.
Should that remain the case – and their remaining fixtures see title-chasing Arsenal and sixth-placed Newcastle visit Old Trafford before a closing trip to Brighton – it would be United’s lowest Premier League finish.
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They won nine of the first 11 titles after the competition’s rebranding in 1992, and were runners-up in the other two seasons, and never finished outside the top three in 21 Premier League campaigns under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson.
They were seventh in the first season after his departure, which saw successor David Moyes sacked with four games remaining in the first season of a six-year contract. They lost 12 games that term, a number they matched in 2021-22 but had not surpassed until Monday night.
In the decade since Ferguson left they have also finished second and third twice apiece, fourth and fifth once each and sixth three times, with this season on track for a new low.
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