Man Utd: Ten Hag sack chances now ’50/50′ as ‘really open’ Pochettino one to watch – Romano
Erik ten Hag with the club mascot before a game
The chances of Sir Jim Ratcliffe sacking Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag to appoint his “own manager” is now “50-50”, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Ten Hag might only have one match left as Manchester United manager after a bitterly disappointing Premier League campaign.
The FA Cup final against Manchester City this weekend represents a huge task for the Dutchman and his players, but winning the competition would see the Red Devils qualify for the Europa League at the expense of Chelsea, who would drop into the Europa Conference League, and Newcastle United out of European football altogether.
Taking home the trophy could save Ten Hag’s job, though we have seen with Louis van Gaal in the past that this is not always enough as manager of United.
There is so much speculation surrounding his long-term future with new co-owner Ratcliffe looking to change just about everything following his 25 per cent takeover earlier this year.
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He has already brought in plenty of new faces, including Jason Wilcox, and Ten Hag could fall victim to the overhaul following a very poor season.
His future has been further called into question following Chelsea’s decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino, who was linked with the Man Utd job before Ten Hag took over in May 2022.
Following his dismissal, Pochettino has been strongly linked with the Red Devils job and could be Ratcliffe’s man.
Romano reveals ‘possibility Ten Hag will be fired by Man Utd’
According to Fabzirio Romano, the former Tottenham manager is very eager to jump straight back into management and is “really open to new possibilities”.
While this likely includes the Old Trafford job, Romano insists that “there is nothing to say” regarding an agreement being reached or even talks taking place.
Another manager being linked with the role is Roberto De Zerbi – who has just left Brighton – but the Italian journalist insists his situation is “completely quiet” amidst links to the Red Devils and Chelsea.
Tellingly, Romano says there is now a ’50 per cent’ chance Man Utd sack Ten Hag after the FA Cup final.
He said in his CaughtOffside column:
“I’ve had many questions on Erik ten Hag and my understanding is that the internal process to decide his future at Manchester United is still ongoing, but as I keep saying, the situation is really open. It’s not just about winning the FA Cup final on Saturday – it’s about seeing the performance and the attitude of the squad, and there is absolutely the possibility that we’ll see Ten Hag fired by Man United.
As of now, it’s absolutely open and there is a 50-50 possibility to see Ten Hag leaving Old Trafford, and it’s normal that new owners can consider to appoint their “own” manager, but internal talks are still ongoing.”
With Pochettino open to diving straight back into management, Romano says “he has the energy to go for a new job” and it is important to “keep an eye on” him amidst reports he is “appreciated” by Ratcliffe.
On De Zerbi, it is claimed that the former Brighton head coach is not in discussions with Chelsea but “would love” to stay in the Premier League.
Romano added:
“It’s also important to say that, at this stage, Chelsea are not talking to Roberto de Zerbi. He’s another name we see in the media a lot, but at the moment it’s completely quiet.
We’ve also seen him linked as dreaming of the Man United job, but my understanding is that he would love to work in Premier League again, even if it’s not about a specific club, he would just love to continue in the Premier League.
He’s really open, even possibilities in other countries could attract De Zerbi for sure. He’s really keen on re-starting as soon as he finds a good project.”
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