Speculation over Erik ten Hag's Manchester United future continues to percolate
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag(Image credit: Getty Images)
Erik ten Hag could already have a new job lined up if the axe falls at Manchester United this summer.
The Dutchman’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, with the Red Devils well off the pace for the Champions League spots as the season enters the home straight.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is getting ready for his first summer in charge of the club’s football operations after his minority investment in the club was completed earlier this year and reports have suggested he may look to replace Ten Hag.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The likes of Roberto de Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel are among those to be linked with the Old Trafford job, while reports in the Netherlands suggest that Ten Hag may not be out of work for long, should Manchester United decide to replace him.
De Telegraaf claims that Ten Hag is on a three-man shortlist to be the next manager at Ajax, who are enduring their worst season for a generation and look set to miss out on a top-four finish for the first time since 2000.
Ten Hag spent four-and-a-half years in charge of Ajax prior to taking the Manchester United job in 2022, winning three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.
The report names Ten Hag alongside former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter and Nice’s Francesco Farioli as contenders to replace interim boss John van ’t Schip at the club.
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Graham Potter has been linked with the Ajax job (Image credit: Getty Images)
Potter is said to have turned down a first offer from the club as it did not meet his salary expectations.
Manchester United sit sixth in the Premier League table, seven points off fifth-placed Spurs and will take on rivals Manchester City in next month’s FA Cup final - but even victory there may not be enough to prevent Ratcliffe from calling time on the 54-year-old’s spell in charge.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
