Erik ten Hag is again battling to save his job as Manchester United manager and is understood to have just two games left in order save himself.
Having been been backed by the members United’s new-look boardroom in the summer, the Dutchman was permitted to spend substantially during the close season on the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee.
Despite the investment, United look no different to the side which toiled last season when Ten Hag was able to paper over the cracks with an unlikely FA Cup triumph.
A listless performance in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat against Tottenham at Old Trafford has pushed Ten Hag closer to the sack and further setbacks against Porto and Aston Villa before the international break could well seal his fate.
United sounded out a number of potential replacements for Ten Hag back in the summer, including the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, but according to BoyleSports supercomputer Gareth Southgate is the most likely man, with a 34% chance, to take over the Theatre of Dreams.
Southgate stood down as England manager in the summer following the Three Lions painful defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
‘I’ve got lots of opportunities and I’m very open-mined about what’s next,’ he said in an interview with Sky News.
Next Man Utd Manager
Gareth Southgate – 34.8% (15/8)
Ruud Van Nistelrooy – 33.3% (2/1)
Thomas Tuchel – 13.3% (6/1)
Thomas Frank – 4.76% (20/1)
Kieran McKenna – 3.85% (25/1)
Graham Potter- 3.85% (25/1)
Michael Carrick – 3.85% (25/1)
Zinedine Zidane – 2.95% (33/1)
Odds supplied by BoyleSports
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‘That might be inside of football, that might be outside of football. I’m just going to take some time; refresh, recharge and then go from there.
Asked if he had been approached by any clubs offering him a job, Southgate responded: ‘I think people know that at the moment I need to get some energy back.
‘I’m intent on enjoying my life and I’m not going to rush into anything. I want to make sure that I make the right decision.
‘I’ve got some charities that I want to support which are very important to me but also there’s opportunities outside of football that I’m also quite interested in.’
Having had time to reflect on his Three Lions tenure, Southgate said that England’s defeats in consecutive European Championship finals will continue to sting but insisted he had no regrets about the way he led the team.
‘We wanted to do that final piece and to finish winning the final would’ve been perfection but it wasn’t to be,’ he said. ‘I’m sure the team can go on and be successful in the next years.
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