Ten Hag replacements: The three frontrunners

• Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could be sacked after Saturday’s FA Cup final
• According to reports, the Dutchman is going to lose his job at Manchester United whether he leads the club to victory against Manchester City or not
• Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been identified as one of Ten Hag replacements

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could be sacked after Saturday’s FA Cup final, but does the club already have ten Hag replacements?

According to reports trending in the football world, ten Hag is going to lose his job at Manchester United whether he leads the club to victory or not. United play Manchester City in the FA Cup final later today, which will be a repeat of last year’s final.

Erik ten Hag. Photo/ beIN SPORTS.

Manchester United have had a disappointing 2023/24 campaign in which they finished eighth, their worst finish season 1990. They were also knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages and failed to defend their Carabao Cup after being eliminated from the competition by Newcastle United.

United’s board have allegedly responded to do the poor results throughout the campaign by deciding to sack the Dutchman. Here, we take a look at three managers leading the race for ten Hag replacements, as per The Guardian.

1. Thomas Tuchel 

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel could be returning to England this summer. According to reports, the German could be United’s next manager if ten Hag is sacked in the coming days.

Manchester United are impressed with the 50-year-old’s CV, which includes league titles in France and Germany, as well as a UEFA Champions League. Tuchel won the Champions League in his first season at Chelsea but was sacked the following campaign after Todd Boehly took over the club from Roman Abramovich.

Thomas Tuchel. Photo/ Eurosport.

Tuchel most recently managed Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich before agreeing to part ways with the club at the end of the season. He joined the Bavarians in 2023 and led them to triumph at the end of the 2022/23 season. Bayern failed to defend the title against Bayer Leverkusen, which is one of the reasons Tuchel left.

2. Mauricio Pochettino 

Another manager considered to be one of ten Hag replacements is Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine’s midweek departure from Chelsea caused uproar among many Blues fans as he seemed to be taking the team in the right direction after a difficult start to the 2023/24 campaign.

Pochettino’s Chelsea exit means he is now perfect position to lead Manchester United considering ten Hag is expected to leave. Pochettino has been an admirer for Man Utd for a very long time and the club has also showed interest in him before.

Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson previously praised Pochettino’s managerial ability and has been wanting to see him lead the club.

“The manager [Pochettino] has been fantastic. They [Tottenham Hotspur] have a bad record of managers, there is no doubt about that. They have had so many over the years. But this lad has composure. You never see him ruffled and the way his team play is a testimony to the work he is doing.” Sir Alex Ferguson previously said of Pochettino, as per Daily Mail.

3. Kieran McKenna

Kieran McKenna is one of the most sought after managers right now in Europe. The Ipswich Town boss recently led Ipswich Town to promotion and is currently on the radar of both Chelsea and Manchester United.

Reports emerged after the sacking of Pochettino that Chelsea were considering McKenna as a serious option and have held talks with his representatives. Manchester United then joined the race and McKenna is now a frontrunner on the list of ten Hag replacements.

Kieran McKenna. Photo/ beIN SPORTS.

The manager’s representatives have already met with Man Utd, as per Sky Sports. New United chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox discussed the prospect of McKenna taking over the first team with his representatives.

After starting his managerial career at Tottenham Hotspur, McKenna joined Manchester United as the U18’s manager in 2016. After Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho, McKenna and Michael Carrick worked as his assistants. He left in 2021 to sign and signed with Ipswich Town, whom he helped secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the English Premier League.