Sir Jim Ratcliffe is in favour of replacing Erik ten Hag with former Chelsea manager Graham Potter at Manchester United.
The winds of change are about to hit Manchester United, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe could soon opt to replace under-fire manager Erik ten Hag with former Chelsea manager Graham Potter according to The Sun.
The Englishman is currently unattached after parting ways with Chelsea earlier this year. His tumultuous spell at Stamford Bridge was in stark contrast to the exciting brand of squad building and football that he developed at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Once considered to be among the best young domestic managers in the top flight, Potter’s stock has somewhat fallen since his Chelsea stint. However, still just 48, he has enough in his tank to resurrect what is still a young career in management.
There are few challenges in football today as the one that awaits Sir Ratcliffe at Old Trafford. The incoming investor has to rebuild the club both on and off the field – a mammoth task in the best of times let alone the mud that the Red Devils find themselves in.
Erik ten Hag has every reason to be worried about his job following the club’s tame exit from the UEFA Champions League. Not only did the Red Devils get eliminated without a whimper but also managed to finish dead last in a group that also contained Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen.
With a trip to Anfield up next, Manchester United could be in for yet more pain. A trip to Merseyside is not a good omen in itself given that both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not survive massive defeats to Liverpool. And ten Hag could become the seventh manager to get the sack after an immediate loss to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
Should that happen, Potter will need to work his socks off to rebuild the side midway through the campaign. Sir Ratcliffe appears to have a good opinion of the former Chelsea boss and was even keen to have him on at OGC Nice this year. While it was not to be, Manchester United are a different beast altogether.
A move to Old Trafford could not just reignite Potter’s career but also give him the opportunity to awaken one of European football’s greatest institutions from its slumber. There is much work to be done on and off the field, and it remains to be seen if Potter will be the man entrusted to bring back the Theatre of Dreams to its former glory.