United Beyond Manchester

Now that the Ineos group has taken over Manchester United, the club structure is changing. Omar Berrada has joined from Manchester City to be the new CEO. Dan Ashworth is expected to join the staff from Newcastle United, and Jean-Claude Blanc is also expected to be added in a senior role. There is a growing possibility that Manchester United may follow all of these moves by replacing Erik Ten Hag if they determine he is not fit for the new system. Below, we look at six managers with a chance to be appointed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane is both the most successful on the list and the least likely to accept an offer from Manchester United. Zidane has not shown any desire to move to the Premier League when he returns to managing. However, the Manchester United project, with the new backing from Ineos, will present an intriguing opportunity for any incoming manager. If any job could sway Zidane, it may be this one.

Success has followed Zidane wherever he has gone. On top of a highly successful and legendary club career, he is a World Cup champion. As a manager, he led Real Madrid to three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles and won the World’s Best Club Coach award twice.

The Frenchman has expressed a desire to return to managing, and it looks increasingly likely that the return will come this summer. Bayern Munich have also expressed interest in him as Thomas Tuchel, who unfortunately is on this list, will exit the club after this season.

Zidane would no doubt bring a champion’s mindset to United but is a long shot to take the job.

Julian Nagelsmann

According to an I Sport report, Julian Nagelsmann has been recommended to Manchester United by former interim manager Ralf Rangnick. While Rangnick certainly was not successful at the club, he has a reputation for his brilliant tactical innovations and has found success in other roles, such as his current Austria role.

Nagelsmann became the youngest-ever Bundesliga manager in 2015 when he took over TSG Hoffenheim at 28 years old. After leading them into the Champions League, he moved to RB Leipzig, where he also brought success.

Leipzig made it to the Champions League semi-finals under Nagelsmann, and his success there led him to the pinnacle job in German football, Bayern Munich.

At Bayern, Nagelsmann won a Bundesliga title, and two German Super Cup titles. His time at Bayern was cut short midseason when he was just one point off league leaders Borussia Dortmund. While league titles are the minimum for Bayern managers, this seemed a curious decision from the club. Nagelsmann is now the German national team manager.

At 36, Nagelsmann has a long managerial career ahead of him. Any club that brings him in and gives him time may get a long-term manager. Newcastle United are also interested in teh German manager.

With a proven track record of elevating struggling teams, Nagelsmann could be a great manager for a new Manchester United era.

Roberto De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton success has brought him to the attention of many big clubs. Along with Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona are keeping tabs on him ahead of their postseason managerial openings.

Before Brighton, De Zerbi was at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won the Ukrainian Super Cup. The Italian decided to leave the club when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Brighton found success under De Zerbi after Graham Potter left the club for Chelsea. The 44-year-old led Brighton to their first-ever European competition after a sixth-place finish last season.

Manchester United’s new senior management will need to determine whether De Zerbi’s possession-based football fits the club’s new culture.

Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim is a rising star in the world of management. He has only been a manager since 2019 but is already linked to some of England’s top clubs.

Amorim’s first senior position was with Braga, where he led them to a domestic league cup final. He was only at Braga for a few months before being given the reigns at Sporting CP.

In Amorim’s first full season in charge at Sporting, he led them to their first league title in nineteen years. He also won the domestic cup final and was named the Manager of the Season for the league that year.

In total, Amorim has a league title and three domestic cup titles to his name. This season, the 39-year-old has his team at the top of the Portuguese league with a game in hand. Amorim has a clear identity for his team, and has brought success in his short time as a manager.

Amorim is also being linked to the soon-to-be vacant Liverpool job and Chelsea. While an intriguing option, his 3-4-3 formation and style would be a major change for United.

Thomas Tuchel

First of all, no. I do not want to see Thomas Tuchel in Manchester. However, he is being linked to the job, so we will analyze him anyway.

Tuchel has had a storied managerial career. He has a league title with PSG, a Champions League with Chelsea, and numerous domestic titles. He is regarded by many as a great tactician, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp considers Tuchel “an outstanding coach and an outstanding manager.” Tuchel also played a part in starting the career of another manager on this list, Julian Nagelsmann. Tuchel gave Nagelsmann a scouting position when he was at Augsburg.

Despite his successes, Tuchel has been with four clubs in 8 seasons and will likely be at a fifth in nine. His inability to keep a job stems from his constant battling with club management and his cold treatment of players. He also tends to follow his success with poor results. At Bayern Munich, he helped them win the league title at the death last season. This season, the Bavarian side are ten points off leaders Bayer Leverkusen and will likely fail to win the title for the first time since 2011-2012.

While Tuchel is an intelligent manager who knows what it takes to win, he does not look like a long-term solution for a club like Manchester United.

Graham Potter

Graham Potter is another man who Chelsea dismissed, but is linked to Old Trafford. So again, let’s take a look at him.

Potter made a name for himself at Brighton, where he led them to their best-ever league finish. While he did not win any trophies at Brighton, his tactical prowess and intelligence earned him an opportunity to move to Chelsea.

Graham Potter’s time at Chelsea was a disaster. He was sacked before finishing a full season with the club, and they were 11th in the table at the time of his departure. He ended his time at Chelsea with eleven losses in thirty-one games, which led to the worst points-per-game ratio by a manager for the club.

While Potter had success at Brighton, his inability to win with Chelsea is a major red flag. His inability to manage on a bigger stage makes me skeptical as to whether he could bring success to Old Trafford.

These are just six of the names linked to Manchester United should Erik Ten Hag be sacked. Who would you like to see take over if that happens?