Manchester United 'hold Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank talks' as Erik ten Hag decision looms
Manchester United have held talks with the representatives of both Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank as a decision looms on the Old Trafford future of Erik ten Hag, according to the latest reports.
Ten Hag’s position has been subject to intense speculation for months now after United slumped to their worst top-flight finish for 34 years, coming eighth in the Premier League after losing 14 matches.
The Dutchman was expected to be removed from his post this summer regardless of what transpired in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley, but the impressive manner of a shock 2-1 victory over rivals and champions Manchester City - one which secured a place in the Europa League next term - appears to have created fresh uncertainty over the right path to take, with Ten Hag having dealt with an ongoing injury crisis after an impressive first season at the helm that saw them reach Wembley twice, win the Carabao Cup and finish third in the league.
According to Fabrizio Romano, United want to conduct an end-of-season review this week that will ultimately determine Ten Hag’s future, with initial contacts already held with the camps of other managers in case they do decide to move on.
Previous reports claimed that the Red Devils had already been in touch with the respective representatives of their former first-team coach Kieran McKenna, the architect of back-to-back promotions with Ipswich also pursued for the vacant managerial jobs at Chelsea and Brighton, and Thomas Tuchel, who has left Bayern Munich and is set to be replaced by Burnley’s Vincent Kompany.
The Telegraph now report that United have also held talks with the representatives of long-term target Pochettino, whose shock departure from Chelsea after only one season at the helm was confirmed last week despite a late-season resurgence that saw the Blues finish sixth in the Premier League.
They are also believed to have sounded out Frank’s camp, with the Dane another head coach in considerable demand at the moment after an impressive five-and-a-half year spell in charge at Brentford that included promotion to the Premier League and successive top-half finishes.
Standard Sport understands that Frank is also on a four-man shortlist to succeed Pochettino at Chelsea, along with McKenna, Leicester’s Championship title-winning boss Enzo Maresca and Roberto De Zerbi, who left Brighton at the end of the season.
The highly-rated McKenna is also a target for Brighton as they seek to replace De Zerbi in the coming weeks.
