Manchester United’s pursuit of a permanent manager is well and truly underway as we approach the final stretch of the season, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick not expected to stay in the dugout past this summer.
The German will take on an advisory role at the club, with Manchester United officials getting ready to name their permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, and sources have confirmed to Stretty News that further talks have been planned with the Dutchman.
It’s safe to say that the current crop of players at Manchester United are not performing to the desired level and any new manager would likely make wholesale changes. There could, however, be a number of first-team regulars who fit Ten Hag’s philosophy. We take a look at a few below.
Fred
Perhaps one of the few players to walk away from the second half of this season with his head held high. The Brazil international is a regular for club and country and has improved with each year at Old Trafford.
Despite his contract winding down, Fred’s qualities would be appreciated by Ten Hag, and his counter-pressing, the best at the club, is a quality the former Bayern Munich coach would find hard to pass up on.
Fred has emerged as one of United’s most important players over the last couple of months, with Rangnick choosing to use the midfielder more often than not. Solskjaer shared that sentiment whilst Jose Mourinho fought tooth and nail to sign him from Shakthar Donetsk in 2018. Clearly, he is doing something right.
Read more: Andy Cole urges Man Utd to sign Bundesliga ace instead of Declan Rice
Bruno Fernandes
Fresh off signing a new long-term deal, Fernandes has no plans to leave the club anytime soon and that’s good news to anyone who wishes a change in fortunes at the Theatre of Dreams. Fernandes was the catalyst of change under Solskjaer when he signed two years ago and although that’s yet to result in silverware, he has cemented his position as one of the most efficient midfielders in the world.
The 27-year-old is also a dream player to have as a coach, as he is clearly keen to learn from the best – a quality Ten Hag would use to his advantage. His popularity in the senior squad also comes into play. Winning over the ‘big boys’ early on is crucial to a manager’s survival.
Jadon Sancho
Probably the player best suited to a managerial change of this kind. Sancho has practiced a high-pressing style for years in Germany and although it hasn’t gone exactly as planned under Rangnick, the former Manchester City winger has enjoyed his best form under the German. It’s likely that under Ten Hag, Sancho’s trajectory will continue to rocket.
The best is yet to come from the 22-year-old and under Ten Hag, Sancho could finally come to his own after slowly finding his feet in the Premier League.
