Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi emerges as shock contender to replace Erik Ten Hag with Man Utd chief two games from axe
INTER MILAN boss Simone Inzaghi has reportedly emerged as a “serious contender” to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
The Dutchman will have two away games to save his job against Porto on Thursday and Aston Villa on Sunday.
Simone Inzaghi is on Man Utd’s radar should Erik ten Hag be sacked
The pressure is mounting on the Man Utd boss after another poor start to the season
The Man Utd manager’s future has been called into question following a dismal display in a humiliating 3-0 home loss to Tottenham.
Ten Hag said he was not concerned about losing his job, claiming the club are backing him, after he signed a contract extension over the summer.
But there remains uncertainty around his position.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will reportedly consider Ten Hag’s Man Utd future during the October international break.
Old Trafford chiefs are interested in securing Inzaghi from Italian side Inter Milan, according to The Star.
Inzaghi guided Inter to Serie A glory last season and he is widely considered to be one of the best coaches in world football.
The 48-year-old has won nine trophies during his managerial career so far, with both Lazio and Inter.
Inter reached the Champions League final under his tutelage in 2022-23 but lost 1-0 to treble winners Manchester City.
Inzaghi (centre) celebrating with his team as they secured their 20th Scudetto with five matches remaining in April 2024
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The former Lazio forward has guided his side to fourth place this term, with three wins and two draws among their opening six fixtures.
Inzaghi held Pep Guardiola to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad in early September.
He is also the current holder of the Enzo Bearzot Award, given to the best Italian manager each year.
The Star report states that former England boss Gareth Southgate could also come in for Ten Hag should he be sacked.
Meanwhile Ruud van Nistelrooy will also be considered after returning to Old Trafford as an assistant in the summer.
Southgate remains without a job after quitting England following England’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Meanwhile Man Utd have only won six of their last 18 Premier League games and have already lost three of their six matches this season.
Ten Hag could therefore be axed before the Red Devils face Brentford on October 19.
Man Utd face four away games in their next five fixtures
Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport’s DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag’s time at Man Utd is up… and explains what’s wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
