Man Utd hold Thomas Frank and Mauricio Pochettino talks as Ten Hag sweats on review result

Manchester United have held discussions with the representatives of Thomas Frank and Mauricio Pochettino as they continue to explore their options ahead of a final decision on the future of Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag – who went on holiday on Sunday – is at serious risk of being sacked despite leading United to a second trophy in as many seasons with Saturday’s FA Cup triumph over Manchester City at Wembley.

United’s key decision-makers will conduct a thorough season review this week at which Ten Hag’s fate will be determined.

Old Trafford officials held talks in the last week with representatives of Kieran McKenna, who was previously United’s first-team coach under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has just guided Ipswich Town to the Premier League after back-to-back promotions.

Telegraph Sport understands that United have since met with people from the Frank and Pochettino camps as the club weighs up its next move.

Frank, the 50-year-old Dane, has done an impressive job on a tight budget over the past six years as Brentford manager.

Former Spurs and Paris St-Germain manager Pochettino, who left Chelsea by mutual consent last Tuesday, had been in the running for the Old Trafford post two years ago when Ten Hag got the job.

Chelsea are also admirers of McKenna and Frank, with both men on the west London club’s four-man shortlist as they look for a replacement for Pochettino.

McKenna, who additionally has strong interest from Brighton as they look for a replacement for Roberto De Zerbi, is thought to be sitting tight and waiting to see what unfolds at United before deciding his next move. Landing the top job at United or Chelsea would represent a remarkable career ascent for the 38-year-old Northern Irishman.

United have previously sounded out representatives of Thomas Tuchel, who is leaving Bayern Munich and has the most impressive track record of all the candidates. But there are thought to be some reservations within Old Trafford about whether the former Chelsea manager is the right fit for them at this moment.

Frank, Pochettino and England manager Gareth Southgate – another candidate – were all among the guests at Sir Dave Brailsford’s star-studded 60th birthday party earlier this year.

Brailsford is Ineos’ director of sport and an influential figure behind the scenes at Old Trafford since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took a minority stake in the club and, with it, control of football operations.

Southgate, who is committed to managing England at the Euros this summer and does not want anything to distract from the tournament in Germany, would not be available until mid-to-late July.

Ten Hag cut a defiant figure in the wake of United’s impressive 2-1 win over City and warned the club that he will “go somewhere else to win trophies” if they opt to sack him. United chiefs will convene this week to closely analyse the season and determine if they feel a change of manager is necessary.

Ten Hag said on Saturday he “didn’t know” if he would be kept on but insisted he remained the right man for the role. United’s Cup win came with the added benefit of securing Europa League qualification after the club had been at risk of having no European football at Old Trafford next season following their eighth-placed finish in the Premier League. The situation will give United a little more wriggle room financially, although there is still going to be a huge onus on the need to sell well to raise funds to reinvest with the purse strings tight owing to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules after a £555 million spend in the previous three years.

United are prioritising the recruitment of a centre-back, defensive midfielder and striker this summer. Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial will leave as free agents but United are hoping to find buyers for a number of players, including Brazil midfielder Casemiro, and are prepared to listen to offers for the majority of their squad bar young talents such as Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.

Meanwhile, United’s Cup-winning squad have written an open letter to fans thanking them for their unwavering support throughout a difficult season that they admitted “overall has not been good enough”.

“You can be sure that we feel immense pride in representing our football club,” they wrote. “This shared passion will drive us forward together, back to where this club belongs. We know how much this club means to so many people – in Manchester and around the world.

“The backing you have given to us, even during times when we fell short of the standards that we set for ourselves, has been unbelievable.

“We understand the sacrifices that you have to make to show this level of support. It does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We know this season overall has not been good enough and we make no excuses.

“But we ended it in the best way possible, celebrating a trophy all together. We want more days like yesterday. We are excited for the future here.

“There is so much that we have to achieve together. We will fight to bring Manchester United the success that this special club deserves. Thank you for your unrivalled support.”

Manchester City expected to operate sell-to-buy policy this summer

Manchester City will look at which players depart from Pep Guardiola’s squad before entering the transfer market this summer, with the Premier League champions expected to sell before they buy.

City spent more than £200milllion on Mateo Kovacic, Joško Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes a year ago after winning the Treble, while the summer before they raised more than they spent after Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko left for significant fees.

Guardiola says they will assess their squad depending on which players stay in a squad that has won four titles in a row. Bernardo Silva has been linked with moves over the past two seasons, while Kevin De Bruyne has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia as he enters the final year of his current contract.

“I know some players have to take a decision on whether they stay with us, some players might come,” said Guardiola after the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United. “I’m really pleased with the team, how they’ve behaved all season. I could not say differently.

“My sporting director says everything is fine for next year but right now I don’t know what might happen.”

City had an interest in Lucas Paqueta in the event of Bernardo leaving, although his future has been thrown into uncertainty after his Football Association charge for breaching betting rules.

They are also admirers of Wolves forward Pedro Neto but also looked well-stocked in that area following the development of Jeremy Doku, who scored in the FA Cup final. Brazil winger Savio could also join from Troyes.

Guardiola did not use Jack Grealish in the cup final but insists the England forward will be staying at the Etihad Stadium.

“He will be back,” said Guardiola. “He’s struggled this season. Jeremy has made an incredible step forward as everyone has seen in the last games. But Jack will be back at the level of last season – I’m pretty sure.”