Earlier this evening, eight senior players who were vital to Manchester United’s success departed Old Trafford in response to the club’s failure to fire Eric Ten Hag

Gareth Southgate has been “named as an outsider” to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
If Man United decide to fire Erik ten Hag this summer, Gareth Southgate is said to be one of several options they are looking at.

Save Gareth Southgate as your favourite England boss.
Gareth Southgate is the boss of England. Picture: PA
English boss Gareth Southgate might be looked at as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United if the Dutchman decides to leave the club this summer.

Ten Hag, 54, is in his second season at Old Trafford, but he has been under a lot of pressure lately because United has lost 11 games in the Premier League and was knocked out of both the Champions League and the League Cup before Christmas. At the moment, the Reds are sixth in the Premier League table, 11 points behind the top four teams.

So, in the past few weeks, news stories have said that he might have to fight to keep his job at the end of the season, when Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s new minority partner, takes over football operations. The Manchester Evening News has learned that Ineos has looked at possible replacements for Ten Hag in case they decide they need a new boss in the next few months. Roberto de Zerbi, the coach at Brighton, is said to be one of those candidates.

This week, Paul Scholes said that he believes Ratcliffe’s Ineos have already decided Ten Hag’s future because United is “a million miles away from a team that should be challenging for the league.” Now, ESPN says Southgate is one “outsider” who could be brought into Old Trafford if Ten Hag is fired at the end of the season. The defender who used to play for Crystal Palace and Aston Villa was ready to end his eight-year relationship with England after Euro 2024.

Former Middlesbrough star, 53, is said to have had a “long-standing” relationship with Dan Ashworth, who is wanted by United to become their new sporting director. Ashworth used to be the FA’s head of Elite Development.

Also named in the report as being watched by United officials are Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton & Hove Albion and Thomas Frank of Brentford. The West Londoners’ success with a data-driven approach has won them “admirers” at Old Trafford.

But the report says that paying Ten Hag off and hiring a new boss could “prove too high for United.” However, “with doubt surrounding many areas of the club right now, efforts are being made to plan for every eventuality,” the report says.

If Ten Hag were to leave Old Trafford, ESPN says that his reputation “remains high in Europe,” and Germany is already interested in the former Ajax boss. United is in a situation they have never been in before if they decide to fire their boss this summer: there isn’t a clear-cut replacement.