Manchester United have made contact with a handful of managers as they consider the future of Erik ten Hague, including one candidate they consider to be 'first in line' if the latter is sacked.
At the end of last season, following United's victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, it was confirmed that Ten Hague would remain in charge at Old Trafford following an end-of-season review.
After finishing eighth in the league, the Dutchman was under a lot of scrutiny. In fact, United's bosses held talks with a number of managers to replace the former Ajax boss, including Mauricio Pochettino, Marco Silva and Thomas Tuchel.
Ten Hague later confirmed that United had held talks with Tuchel. “Manchester United have told me they have spoken to him. [Thomas] Tuchel, but they finally came to the conclusion that they already have the best managers,” he told Dutch TV channel NOS.
“INEOS took their time. They are new to football, it's normal considering the season. It's no secret they spoke to a number of candidates.
Several months later and United struggled in their opening three league games. They edged past Fulham on the opening day thanks to a late goal from Joshua Zarkezi before suffering two defeats on the bounce against Brighton and Liverpool.
As a result, Ten Hague's future has become a hot topic of debate.
According to a Daily Mail report in July, United would be 'highly unlikely' to hire Gareth Southgate, after the former England boss was heavily linked with the role earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel is expected to be the first to replace Ten Hague.
Amid ongoing speculation over Ten Hague's job, United CEO Omar Berada has backed the current United boss to remain in charge.
“Eric has our full support and we have worked very closely together in this transfer window. We will continue to work closely with him to help him achieve the best results for the team.
He added: “Contractually, it was a decision that was made before we both came in. But we're very happy with the decision.”
Berada insisted he would back the Dutchman even if United's poor start continues, adding: “Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we are fully backing him. .