Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag after the club’s troubled start to the season continued with a 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Sunday.
The loss came three days after they were held by Fenerbahce in the Europa League – results that left United without a win in Europe this season and in 14th position in the Premier League.
Ten Hag signed a new contract in the summer and departs Old Trafford after two-and-a-half years in charge – so who might be on the club’s list to replace him?
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Managerial record: Played 33 Won 22 Drawn 6 Lost 5 Win percentage 66.7%*
The former Manchester United striker returned to the club to become an assistant to Ten Hag as part of a coaching reshuffle in the summer – and has now been put in temporary charge of the team.
He enjoyed five prolific seasons as a striker at the club after joining in 2001, scoring 150 goals – a tally that puts him 11th on the club’s all-time list.
He had been out of work since quitting as PSV Eindhoven manager just before the end of the 2022-23 season after he had won the Dutch Cup in his first term, with players unhappy about his coaching methods.
The 48-year-old has also had two spells as assistant manager with the Netherlands, but will his relative managerial inexperience and his involvement in the current regime work against him for a long-term role as United boss?
That said, given Ten Hag’s struggles, some fans are now remembering fellow Old Trafford legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s spell more fondly.
So could the hierarchy believe another former fans’ favourite is the way to go once again?
*Denotes top-flight matches only
Graham Potter
Managerial record: Played 397 Won 160 Drawn 119 Lost 118 Win percentage 40.3%
When he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, few would have expected Potter to be out of a job for long. But almost 18 months later, here we are.
Potter’s short stay at Stamford Bridge did not work out amid a huge squad overhaul, but he previously received widespread acclaim for his work at Brighton, having initially honed his managerial skills with Swedish club Ostersund and Swansea.
The 49-year-old turned Brighton into a respected Premier League force in three years on the south coast and remains heavily touted for any high-profile job that becomes vacant – including the England post.
Before the Chelsea blip, Potter was described by many as the best English coach around for the attractive brand of football he developed at Brighton.
He also worked with United’s director of football Ashworth at Amex Stadium, and has recently said he is ready to return to the game.
Speaking on Sky Sports, external about those United connections last week, Potter said: “I am the only coach in world football to be linked with Stoke City and Napoli in the same week.
“A lot of what I’ve read in the media is untrue and false. I take what the media say with a pinch of salt. I’ve had lots of conversations with lots of people.”
Thomas Frank
Managerial record: Played 334 Won 141 Drawn 87 Lost 107 Win percentage 42.2%
Danish coach Frank, 50, is respected thanks to his work in getting Brentford to the Premier League and then consolidating their position in the top flight.
He is still with the Bees despite being mentioned whenever a top job becomes available, and Frank would not be cheap to lure to Old Trafford.
He is another who is thought to be admired by senior figures at Manchester United and knows Brailsford, having attended his birthday dinner in March.
Asked about the United job on Monday, Frank said: “I’ve got a big responsibility to Brentford, their fans, the leadership, players, staff.
“I’ve said many, many times, I’m very happy here. I think it’s one of the best clubs in the world. What happens in the future, who knows?”
Simone Inzaghi
Managerial record: Played 320 Won 192 Drawn 57 Lost 73 Win percentage 60.0%
Inter Milan boss Inzaghi has been linked heavily with United.
The 48-year-old Italian has won plenty of silverware in just his second senior managerial spell, guiding Inter Milan to the Serie A title last season and winning the Coppa Italia twice.
His side was beaten in the 2023 Champions League final by Manchester City.
The former Lazio and Italy striker also won the Coppa Italia as manager of Lazio, and is known for producing solid, organised teams.
Inzaghi has recently signed a new contract with Inter Milan until 2026.
Kieran McKenna
Managerial record: Played 124 Won 67 Drawn 39 Lost 19 Win percentage 54.0%
McKenna is someone who knows Old Trafford very well, having coached there from 2016-21.
He has done a remarkable job in his first managerial job at Ipswich Town, leading them from League One to the Premier League in just two-and-a-half years in charge.
An expansive brand of football saw them gain promotion with successive second-placed finishes, scoring 101 goals in League One and 92 in the Championship.
That means it is no surprise the 38-year-old from Northern Ireland is considered one of the top managerial prospects around.
He was linked with the jobs at Brighton, Manchester United and Chelsea in the summer, having spent just £4m last campaign to guide his side into the Premier League.
However, he signed a four-year deal at the Tractor Boys and would be expensive for United to prise from Ipswich.
Ruben Amorim
Managerial record: Played 244 Won 174 Drawn 34 Lost 36 Win percentage 71.3%
Sporting boss Amorim was heavily linked with Liverpool before they appointed Arne Slot and while he is not yet 40, he already has considerable pedigree.
Amorim led Sporting to a first league title in 19 years at the age of just 36 in 2021 and won his second with the club last season.
A former Benfica and Portugal midfielder, Amorim retired as a player in 2018 and first made his mark as a coach the following year, when an impressive stint in charge of Braga’s reserve team saw him promoted to first-team manager.
Ten wins in 13 games – including a first victory at Benfica for 65 years – soon caught the eye of bigger clubs and, so keen were Sporting to secure his services that they paid 10m euros (£8.6m) to make him their manager in March 2020.
That was the third-highest transfer fee for a manager. Amorim’s contract with Sporting runs until June 2026.
Amorim declined to comment when asked about the job on Monday, adding he was proud to be the Sporting coach.
However it emerged later on Monday that United were in talks about potentially hiring the Portuguese as their new coach.
Edin Terzic
Managerial record: Played 128 Won 75 Drawn 24 Lost 29 Win percentage 58.5%
Edin Terzic led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final last season but then departed in June after asking the club to leave.
Terzic began his coaching career with Dortmund’s academy between 2010 and 2013 before becoming Slaven Bilic’s assistant at Turkish club Besiktas.
He followed Bilic to West Ham United in 2015 but left the Premier League club following the Croatian’s sacking in November 2017 and re-joined Dortmund as Lucien Favre’s assistant the following year.
Following Favre’s dismissal in December 2020, Terzic was named interim boss until the end of that season and led the club to the German Cup with a victory in the final against RB Leipzig.
He then had a stint as the club’s technical director before becoming their manager in 2022.
Xavi Hernandez
Managerial record: Played 102 Won 71 Drawn 16 Lost 15 Win percentage 69.6%
One La Liga title in two-and-a-half years was not enough for Barcelona to offer club legend Xavi an extended stay in the dugout.
The 44-year-old did, however, keep the Catalan giants dining at football’s top table during a lengthy period of financial uncertainty and upheaval, and is known for producing an attractive style of football.
The prospect of him following one-time mentor Pep Guardiola to the Premier League is an alluring one for football purists.
A chance at Old Trafford might be too good for Xavi to resist, but Spanish football expert Guillem Balague says the former midfielder has not heard from United and remains keen on a break until the summer.
Zinedine Zidane
Managerial record: Played 183 Won 124 Drawn 38 Lost 21 Win percentage 67.8%
Speaking of midfield maestros, the mercurial Zidane has been out of management since leaving Barcelona’s Clasico rivals Real Madrid in 2021.
He was previously approached by United when Solskjaer left in 2021, BBC reported at the time.
Some media reports have speculated that Zidane would not manage in the Premier League as he cannot speak English.
The Frenchman is untested as a coach outside the Spanish capital, but his record there, with admittedly vast resources at his disposal, was jaw-dropping.
He led Madrid to three successive Champions League titles – a first for any coach – in his first spell, and won La Liga in his second tilt at the job. But could any club carrying a torch for the 52-year-old tempt him back – bar his beloved Real?
A long shot, but there is no doubt a return to management for Zidane would excite the Old Trafford faithful.
Roberto de Zerbi
The Italian is now at Marseille – who sit in third position in France’s Ligue 1 – following a successful spell at Brighton.
He was linked with the vacancies at Liverpool and Bayern Munich earlier this year as a result of the attractive football the Seagulls played under him.
Brighton’s defensive deficiencies might have counted against him for those jobs, but there is no doubt De Zerbi produces stylish teams who play slick football.