With the Dutchman having been finally put out of his misery on Monday, GOAL assesses his possible successors in the Old Trafford dugout…
It's finally over! Erik ten Hag's miserable Manchester United reign has been belatedly brought to an end, with the club confirming on Monday that the Dutchman had been sacked as manager – less than 24 hours after a 2-1 loss at West Ham.
Ten Hag will undoubtedly feel hard done by. He felt that once again this season some decisive decisions went against him at the London Stadium, while he'll also probably point to the fact that he won two cups during his time in charge at Old Trafford.
However, there's simply no getting away from the fact that the supporters have had to endure far too many painful defeats on Ten Hag's watch. Indeed, the bottom line is that he failed dismally to justify INEOS' decision to retain his services after last season's historically bad eighth-placed finish in the Premier League and a dreadful start to the current campaign left Sir Jim Ratcliffe & Co. with no option but to sack him.
The question now, though, is who could replace him? Ten Hag's former assistant, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has been appointed interim boss and is obviously a contender to land the job on a permanent basis. But who else is in the running? GOAL runs through all the leading contenders below…
Getty Images11Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The mere fact that some supporters were pining for the return of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer long before Ten Hag's dismissal showed just how bad things had gotten under the former Ajax boss. United did play some fine counter-attacking football with the Norwegian at the wheel, but it was clear long before the end of his tenure that he was not the man to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford – despite his incessant talk of the treble of 1999.
Solskjaer was little more than a lame Sir Alex Ferguson tribute act and it's telling that he's not been picked up by a single club since being sacked by United all the way back in 2021. Obviously, this would be an appealingly cheap option for a club that now has to pay its outgoing manager a serious severance package, but this would be a backward step in every way. Even Solskjaer's supporters would struggle to justify his appointment.
AdvertisementGetty Images10Massimiliano Allegri
There are few coaches on the market right now with a CV as impressive as that of Massimiliano Allegri, who parted company with Juventus at the end of last season. The Italian has won six Serie A titles, including five in a row during his first spell in Turin, while he also reached the Champions League final with the Bianconeri on two separate occasions.
However, Allegri is a very strong character with a win-at-all-costs mentality that might provoke unhappy memories of Jose Mourinho's time at Old Trafford. Allegri will always argue that the end justifies the means, and, in his defence, he did manage to get Juve back into the Champions League last season in difficult circumstances, while also winning the Coppa Italia.
However, an awful lot of Juve fans were happy to see the back of Allegri and his outdated and painfully boring brand of football. He might well be capable of sorting out some of United's many problems, but they might not be any better to watch!
Getty Images9Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy has plenty going for him right now. He unquestionably lacks experience but did a decent job at PSV before standing down after one season in Eindhoven, citing a lack of support – which wouldn't be an issue at Old Trafford, where he's a hugely popular figure dating back to his playing days. There's also an undeniable feeling that he's in the right place at the right time.
It certainly wasn't a surprise to see United immediately name Ten Hag's No.2 as the new caretaker coach and if his reign starts well, there will be a groundswell of support for him in the media to take over on a permanent basis, in much the same way that Rio Ferdinand foolishly championed hiring Solskjaer after a purple patch.
There are better managers than Van Nistelrooy available, but he's another low-cost option that could really appeal to the owners.
(C)Getty Images8Thomas Frank
An obligatory mention for one of the Premier League's over-achievers, with Thomas Frank still doing a fine job at Brentford on a relatively small budget. The likeable Dane has been at the helm for nearly six years now and has been repeatedly linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent seasons.
However, it's hard not to suspect that if that move were going to happen, United would have made it during the summer. Frank is quite clearly a fine coach but it doesn't seem he has the proven track record of success or star appeal that INEOS are looking for in a new boss. After all, he's yet to win a major honour.