"Well, I didn't see that coming," said no one ever.
Having endured tiresome cycles of peaks and troughs with plenty of false dawns, INEOS have decided to pull the plug on the Erik ten Hag era. A harsh 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday proved to be the final straw with Manchester United 14th in the Premier League table and without a win at the start of their Europa League campaign.
United's new owners thought long and hard about parting ways with the Dutchman in the summer before opting to retain his services for the start of 2024/25. However, Ten Hag had always seemed 'on the brink' with the pressure on his shoulders perpetual.
This is no easy job, and the coach who opts to succeed Ten Hag at Old Trafford must boast courage and ego in abundance.
Here's how 90min ranks some of the contenders for the Manchester United job after Ten Hag's sacking.
5. Gareth Southgate
Links to the former England manager will not cease!
Southgate was listed as the favourite to replace Ten Hag in the summer alongside new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel, and the bookmakers believe United could make a play for the man who hasn't dabbled in club management since he ended an underwhelming spell at Middlesbrough in 2009.
Southgate is a calm head who cultivated great squad harmony within the England camp during his successful eight-year stint with the national team, but his tactical shortcomings would be ruthlessly exposed at club level.
INEOS perhaps believe Southgate is the ideal man for leading and rejuvenating a bunch of underperforming egos, but it's hard to envisage the 54-year-old being able to compete with some of the Premier League's brightest minds on the sideline.
A move for Southgate would undoubtedly be met with contempt from the United fanbase, as nice a bloke as he is.
4. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy returned to Manchester United in the summer and the club have confirmed that he'll serve as interim manager in the wake of Ten Hag's dismissal.
The former United striker thus has an audition for the role and there's potential for a situation similar to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer post-Jose Mourinho to play out. Solskjaer, another former Red Devil, was handed the permanent job having overseen an impressive resurgence while in caretaker charge.
As was the case when Solskjaer took on the role, Van Nistelrooy has some but not plenty of managerial experience at the highest level. He led PSV Eindhoven for much of the 2022/23 campaign, claiming two pieces of silverware, but a lack of internal support convinced him to leave just before the conclusion of his debut season.
Van Nistelrooy garnered praise for his willingness to develop youth at PSV, and some of the current Man Utd squad, including Rasmus Hojlund, have praised the new interim boss.
He'll certainly garner respect from the dressing room and the Theatre of Dreams will take to their former hitman, but there will be plenty of questions surrounding his long-term suitability for such a tough job.
3. Xavi Hernandez
Xavi persistently complained about the 'entorno' which undermined his reign at Barcelona, and he's not going to find life much easier at Manchester United.
The Spaniard is on the market having left his post in Catalonia at the end of a turbulent 2023/24 campaign and has reportedly held talks with United. Xavi guided Barca to the La Liga title in 2022/23, but his time in charge was pretty underwhelming overall.
There will be a desire for Ten Hag's successor to adopt a cohesive brand of football in which United can dominate in all phases and entertain the Old Trafford faithful. Many thought Xavi would be the sort of manager to oversee such a demanding game model when he took the Barcelona job, but he's so far proven to not be the manager he was supposed to be.
Xavi is more pragmatic with his Barcelona teams accused of using possession for possession's sake. However, his ability to coach a defensively sound unit was on full display during Barca's title win two seasons ago.
The Spaniard is not a bad manager who will provide some tactical coherence, but is he really going to want to take on this job given the factors in his Barcelona exit?
2. Ruben Amorim
Amorim has garnered Premier League interest over the past couple of years, with the Sporting CP manager among the candidates to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before he rejected a move to West Ham in April.
His work in Lisbon has been tremendous, and now looks set on establishing Sporting as Portugal's dominant force having won his second league title in four years as manager in 2023/24. Amorim's team have started the new season superbly, too.
Amorim is a 3-4-3 adorer and his sides are wonderful to watch. There's a pragmatic edge, for sure, but Amorim's Sporting are ever so efficient in the build-up and remarkably proficient when progressing through the thirds.
The 39-year-old is a manager capable of reigniting the Theatre of Dreams with his charisma and vertical style of football. There's already a sense that Amorim has outgrown Portugal, with a move of this ilk inevitable in the near future.
1. Julian Nagelsmann
Following his harsh dismissal from Bayern Munich in 2023, Nagelsmann drifted away from the club scene and went international.
The former hotshot coach has been in charge of the German national team for the past couple of years and has helped a then-sinking Mannschaft return to a level in which supporters will feel they're capable of competing for the biggest honours.
Nagelsmann's competence as a tactician is not up for debate, although there have been previous gripes over his man management. Improvement is always possible in that regard, mind, and Nagelsmann's experiences with Bayern and Germany will only aid his career.
His name is one INEOS are said to be considering, and he's undoubtedly the hipster's choice. The 37-year-old may well be the ideal candidate, too.
Swashbuckling principles with passion in abundance. The Stretford End will take to Nagelsmann like he's one of their own.
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