No decision has been made on Erik ten Hag’s future but that won’t stop potential managerial candidates being linked with the job at Old Trafford.
Manchester United want to speak to Wolves manager Gary O’Neill about a role in a potential new coaching set-up, according to ESPN.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group now in charge of football operations at United following the completion of their purchase of a 27% stake in the club in February, it is believed they are attempting to build a new coaching structure led by a head coach.
The report – written by Mark Ogden – suggests Ineos have already assessed England manager Gareth Southgate, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Brentford’s Thomas Frank as potential successors to Ten Hag.
These reports will do anything but quench the rumours that exist around Ten Hag’s future, even though United are back to showing decent form on the pitch and could end the season on a strong note after qualifying for the FA Cup semi-finals. On top of that, United are still involved in the race for top four.
O’Neill, who was appointed manager at Wolves last August following the departure of Julen Lopetugui, has done a tremendous job by guiding Wolves into contention for European qualification this season after keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League last term.
The ESPN report also suggests that O’Neill, 40, is aware of United’s interest, with senior figures from the club expressing a desire to discuss his intentions.
The role itself is not known. It is thought that United may also be looking to bolster their entire coaching team, but is O’Neill really going to walk from a managerial job to become part of someone else’s coaching staff?
O’Neill signed a three-year contract when he took charge at Wolves last summer. That means United would need to pay a compensation fee.
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