Over the summer Erik ten Hag met with members of the new Manchester United hierarchy to determine whether he’d remain in the dugout at Old Trafford.
Whether or not the verdict was conclusive, the Dutchman remained in Manchester and is now overseeing United’s worst start to a Premier League campaign after seven matches. Talk about making the wrong decision.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co did have a gander at former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel but he rejected any advances having just been laid off by the German giants.
That said, it looks as though the ex-Chelsea manager is back on the table as a candidate.
The candidates to replace Erik ten Hag
If Ten Hag does lose his job – with increasing scrutiny on the Netherlands native – then they could turn to a number of options.
Tuchel is being touted again with notable journalist Fabrizio Romano revealing the latest on Man United’s ‘admiration’ for him.
Speaking recently, he said: “What happened [in the summer] is that internally at Manchester United, they had a meeting with Thomas Tuchel and also with his agent representing him. Then they decided not to proceed on both sides. On Tuchel’s side, he wanted to relax a bit after Bayern, to take some energy and then return in the next months.
“And also, Manchester United decided to confirm Erik ten Hag as the manager. But that meeting is showing to you once again that the appreciation of INEOS, of the management team and of Manchester United in general, for Tuchel remains.”
Who else could arrive? Well, there has been admiration for former United youth team coach in Kieran McKenna, but any move for the Ipswich Town boss is highly unlikely considering he penned new terms at Portman Road over the summer.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is currently playing second fiddle to Ten Hag, is another option and one who certainly knows the club.
There will, of course, be fears they could have another Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the cards here but Van Nistelrooy has at least managed at a high level with PSV Eindhoven.
Van Nistelrooy's Eredivisie record compared to Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag.
There’s also Michael Carrick, who was once interim boss. The current Middlesbrough head coach could have been given the gig on a full-time basis back then but other options were considered.
According to the aforementioned Solskjaer, he should be given the gig as well. “He’s a winner but he’s still in control of his emotions. I cannot see him not being the Manchester United manager,” the Norwegian said.
What Carrick could bring to Man United
Sentiment should never be a consideration when signing a player, let alone hiring a new manager, the face of your football club, the decision maker, the main man.
But, with Carrick, we’re certainly not talking about sentiment. We’re talking about one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s best signings, a player who as Solskjaer notes, is a “winner”.
His time with Boro has been up and down but there are some exciting attributes which we’ll run you through in just a moment.
With the second-tier club, Carrick steered them to an eighth-placed finish, just four points off the play-offs. He did so by employing what Riley McCree described as a “calming presence” and with a ‘good calm atmosphere inside the building’ – something another of his players Jonny Howson alluded to.
“It’s his day-to-day calmness and fluidity. He’s definitely a calming presence, but that’s what you expect after everything that he’s done in his career.” – Riley McCree on Michael Carrick.
That feels like the total opposite of the chaos that seems to be engulfing Ten Hag’s squad. After all, you don’t slump to 14th place in the table and ‘rest’ the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez for a game that could determine your job.
It may well have paid off by keeping a clean sheet against Aston Villa last Sunday but Ten Hag’s words speak of delusion, they speak of a lack of clarity in what he’s trying to do.
With Carrick, he never wavers from the plan in place. That was seen in the 2023/24 campaign when the former midfielder overcame a difficult start to the season at Boro where they had lost seven straight games before finishing just outside the league’s top six. It was that calmness again that helped steady the ship.
As one figure told the i newspaper: “He’s not a ranter or raver by nature, he’s methodical and believes in what he’s doing. He’s intelligent and focused on finding solutions rather than problems. It just creates this culture where there’s no panic when things go wrong.”
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Again, this feels like the opposite of what’s occurring at Old Trafford now. Ten Hag exudes panic. The players clearly don’t buy into what he’s doing.
At Boro, the players really believe Carrick is the man to take them to the Premier League with the i explaining once more of how his ideas on the training pitch are ‘fresh, innovative and players love them.’
Goals scored
71
57
Goals conceded
62
58
Average possession
52.8%
50.4%
Pass success %
84.3%
82.7%
Shots per game
13.6
14.5%
Set-piece goals
11
9
% of play in opposition’s third
30%
29%
So, what about the style of play? Well, it’s a 4-2-3-1 traditionally on paper but the 43-year-old can be a lot more flexible than that, specifically in attack there the front four players have out-of-possession roles but when on the ball have a licence to roam out of position.
It all feels a bit too rigid under Ten Hag at United in comparison. Marcus Rashford is often strictly on the left. Alejandro Garnacho is usually strictly on the right. Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee will regularly drop into the pockets but there isn’t much movement out of position beyond that.
It may well be too soon for a manager of Carrick’s inexperience to be given such a difficult job at Old Trafford but he certainly boasts the man management, tactical nous and knowledge of the club to give it a right go.
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1 ByJoe NuttallOct 7, 2024
