Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could now find his job under threat at Old Trafford after a surprise candidate emerged to replace the Dutchman under their proposed new ownership, according to a report.
Man Utd updates: Sancho news, Dalot impressing, injury round-up
A recent update on Jadon Sancho's future indicates that the Red Devils outcast has a plethora of options available to him in the January transfer window, with clubs from Serie A, Bundesliga, and the Turkish Super Lig all keen.
The England international's public rift with boss Ten Hag was thought to have reached some form of conclusion when outlets reported he would return to the squad this week, however Fabrizio Romano has since confirmed that was a case of mistaken identity, with the manager saying "Sergio" (Reguilon) was back in training, not "Sancho".
In other news, Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has been praised for his improvement following his magnificent winning strike against Sheffield United in the Premier League to seal a crucial three points at Bramall Lane last weekend.
Speaking to MUTV cited via United in Focus, former Manchester United goalkeeper Paul Woolston added: "It’s great to see, he’s definitely got an engine on him. It’s the runs sometimes when he doesn’t get the ball he’s still committing players, asking questions, for someone else to get on the end of it.
"To see his work rate, his wanting to be there, he’s up and down the pitch all day long. He’s a different player since he came back from his loan away, he’s come back and keeps improving, he’s nowhere near the finished article yet but the improvement he’s made is massive."
Next up for Ten Hag's men is a crucial home tie against Copenhagen in the Champions League and the latest Manchester United injury update from The Manchester Evening News has shed some positive light on who could be available for Tuesday night's clash.
Sergio Reguilon, Jonny Evans and Kobbie Mainoo are all expected to be in contention after recovering from various concerns. On the other hand, Casemiro, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo and Tyrell Malacia will all return at a later date.
Manchester United's top scorers in 2023/24 – all competitions
Player
Games played
Goals scored
Casemiro
11
4
Scott McTominay
7
3
Rasmus Hojlund
9
3
Bruno Fernandes
11
2
Hannibal Mejbri
4
1
Man Utd manager news – Graham Potter
Accoring to The Sun, Ten Hag could be sacked and replaced by Graham Potter. The report claims former Chelsea boss Potter is in contention to take over at Serie A side Napoli, but the 48-year-old is also keeping an ear out to see if Manchester United come calling if Sir Jim Ratcliffe's proposed new regime decides to go in a different direction from current manager Ten Hag.
The report states that Potter is a possible candidate for Manchester United under new ownership because Ratcliffe's right hand man, Sir Dave Brailsford, who will have a large influence over the football department at Old Trafford, is a big fan of the Solihull-born coach, even wanting to bring him to Ligue 1 outfit Nice.
The club were recently reported to have made an approach for Carlo Ancelotti, so it really does appear as though they are weighing their options with two possible candidates now named.
Potter didn't enjoy the best of spells at Stamford Bridge and was ousted after less than seven months in charge following a disappointing run of results, though he did lay the foundations for Roberto De Zerbi to continue Brighton & Hove Albion's recent success.
It will be interesting to see if Manchester United's potential new investors look to change things up at Old Trafford as they aim to restore the Premier League giants to being one of the elite in English football, and Potter, labelled "outstanding" by The Telegraph's Luke Edwards, looks an exciting candidate.