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Sir Jim Ratcliffe vetoed as incoming Man Utd owner informed of ideal Ten Hag replacement
Erik Ten Hag is hanging onto his job as Manchester United boss but if he does get the boot, fans already know who they want to replace him.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been sent a clear message on who should replace Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag if the Dutchman is given his marching orders for under-performance. Billionaire Ratcliffe is expected to finalise a plan to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils once the deal has been ratified by the Premier League.
That could take several weeks but in the meantime, first-team boss Ten Hag is fighting to hold onto his own job. The 20-time league champions are currently floundering in seventh position in the Premier League and have already lost seven times in the league this season.
They are also out of Europe completely after finishing bottom of their Champions League group and have a job on their hands to qualify for the competition again next season. Rumours have also circulated suggesting that the manager has fallen out with some of his players, piling extra pressure on his shoulders.
A backs-to-the-wall 0-0 draw at Anfield against arch-rivals Liverpool put some credit back in the Dutchman's bank but with a new investor on the horizon he will need to hope for a much better second half to the season if he is to be seen as the man to steer United into next season.
Should the worst materialise and the club do decide to part ways, there is a clear preferential target to replace Ten Hag.
A poll of Express readers asking who Man Utd should hire if Ten Hag is sacked voted overwhelmingly in favour of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane to be the next man in the Old Trafford dugout, getting 2,752 votes.
Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter is a name that has been linked with the role in recent weeks with Ratcliffe said to have personally identified him as his No 1 target to replace ten Hag but he wasn't even second or third on the poll list, with Express readers seeing current Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi (1,639 votes) and former Red Devil Michael Carrick (1,195 votes) as preferential choices to Potter. Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri - who is reportedly interested in taking a top Premier League job at the end of the season - received the fewest votes with just 663 picking him. Potter, meanwhile, was the fourth-highest backed boss with 1,132 votes.
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But Ten Hag isn't the only Manchester United employee who could be fearful for his job. According to the Mail, after doing due diligence ahead of his reported £1.25billion investment, Ratcliffe has concluded that the club is currently overstaffed.
United employs more people than any other Premier League club with more than 1,100 employees compared to around 900 at Liverpool, 750 at Tottenham, 720 at champions Manchester City and 700 at Arsenal.
Should Ratcliffe make a recommendation for job cuts, that number could potentially be reduced to a level more in keeping with their Premier League rivals.