Erik ten Hag: Man United sack plan revealed after showdown talks
Man United may not sack Erik ten Hag until closer to the January transfer window, according to the club’s former chief scout.
Mick Brown, who also worked as Sir Alex Ferguson’s number two for a period and remains very well-connected at the club, exclusively told Football Insider that United will look to have a new boss in place before the transfer window opens.
This would allow them to make immediate changes – both incoming and outgoing – to the squad at their disposal and give them an opportunity to stamp their mark.
United chiefs met on Tuesday for talks in Knightsbridge, at the offices of Ineos. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the company’s owner and United’s largest single minority shareholder, led the talks with Omar Berrada, United’s chief executive, Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, and Jason Wilcox, the technical director.
It is believed that Ten Hag’s position was among the points of discussions during the summit meeting in London.
Pressure is continuing to grow on Ten Hag following the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa which has now seen his side go five games without a win in all competitions.
As a result, they now sit 14th in the Premier League table after seven games, having picked up just eight points from two wins, two draws and three defeats.
Concerns have also been raised about the manager’s spending and the level of players he has brought in given the level of their success.
However, with United targeting big-name bosses such as Massimiliano Allegri and Thomas Tuchel, there is a feeling that they will also be granted plenty of backing in the transfer window.
Man United to sack Erik ten Hag before Christmas
Now, the well-connected former scout who also spent time at the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham, has insisted any new boss will want to bring in their own players immediately to help deal with the issues in the squad.
“They’ve got a load of players who somebody’s got to come in and deal with,” he told Football Insider.
“I’m not so sure that the likes of Allegri and Tuchel, people like that, would want that lot.
“So they’re governed by the transfer window and when they can make some changes.
“I’ve heard the club would like to wait until closer to January before they pull the trigger on Ten Hag so any new boss can have the transfer window.
“But circumstances may be that they’re forced to pull the trigger early.
“Ideally, it would be closer to January and around the Christmas period and if they wanted to make the call then the new manager could bring in his own players.
“Results will need to pick up though because the pressure is on and they could be forced to make a decision earlier than that.”
In other news, United have hatched a new Harry Maguire exit plan.
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