A fresh report has outlined a potential successor for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, and they have a major demand to make of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co.
Manchester United in a "terrible position"
A 1-1 draw with Turkish side Fenerbahce left Ten Hag’s side without a win in Europe this season after three attempts, throwing away another lead to draw 1-1. It takes the Red Devils to 12 months without a win in Europe, and their predicament was slammed by Paul Scholes in the wake of their draw in Turkey.
“I thought the last half an hour from both teams was really poor. A draw, you’d probably take it before the game”, the Manchester United legend explained on TNT Sports. “They’re in a terrible position in that Europa League, they’ve got to start winning games soon”.
The result leaves Ten Hag’s side 21st in the Europa League with five games left to play, with the teams that finish between 9th and 24th set to go into a knockout round for a spot in the last 16.
Manchester United’s remaining Europa League ties
Opponent (Home/Away)
Date
PAOK Thessaloniki (Home)
7th November 2024
Bodo/Glimt (Home)
28th November 2024
Viktoria Plzen (Away)
12th December 2024
Rangers (Home)
23rd January 2025
FCSB (Away)
30th January 2025
It also leaves Ten Hag under pressure, with the Red Devils offering little show of encouragement and in the bottom half of both the Europa League and the Premier League after a significant chunk of games, and a trip to West Ham on Sunday could be pivotal for the Dutchman’s future. And they are already lining up potential replacements.
Xavi contacted by Manchester United
According to previous reports, Manchester United have already held talks with former Barcelona coach Xavi over the potential role at Old Trafford, with reports from Spain suggesting that club CEO Omar Berrada has led a delegation to Spain to hold talks with the 44-year-old coach.
Man Utd recruitment team identify new target to partner Kobbie Mainoo
Man Utd’s hierarchy have identified a new target to improve a key area of the squad.
ByBrett Worthington
Now, another report in Spain has claimed that Xavi has “made it clear” that he has one “key request” to take over at Old Trafford; the signing of Barcelona forward Raphinha.
Could Man Utd really sign Raphinha?
Of course, Manchester United do have issues on the right side of attack, with both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho preferring to play on the left side, while Antony’s £86m has been disastrous to the point where the club are reportedly already ready to get rid of the Brazilian should the opportunity arise, with the forward having been handed just 30 minutes of Premier League action this season.
That leaves just Amad Diallo, who is undoubtedly talented but remains a raw gem who cannot be relied upon week in, week out. However, signing Raphinha would be almost impossible. Reports in the summer linked the Red Devils with a move to sign the Brazilian winger, but he has gone on to become one of Hansi Flick’s most important players at Barcelona this season.
The former Leeds United man has registered five goals and seven assists in 10 La Liga games, and grabbed a hat-trick in their most recent Champions League game as his side thrashed Bayern Munich 4-1, taking him to 17 goal contributions in just 13 games this season.
The report adds that “Barça would be willing to let him go, but only if they receive an offer close to 100 million euros” (£86m), a fee that is within Manchester United’s reach but may be one that they baulk at under their new ownership.
If his addition really is a dealbreaker for Xavi, then United and Berrada may be forced to look elsewhere for a successor to their current under-pressure charge.
