Inside Erik ten Hag’s sacking as reasons Man Utd finally pulled the trigger revealed following dismal start to season

SunSport's DAVE KIDD explains what's wrong with all the potential candidates to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.

And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.

If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.

The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.

He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.

None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.

Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.

And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.

Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.

Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.

Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.

Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.

Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.

Thomas Tuchel would also have been a popular and gettable option - but England got in there first.

Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.

Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.

Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.

Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.

Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.

So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

The Red Devils legend, 48, is no stranger to the pressures of Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in 219 games for Man Utd and helped them to the 2002-03 Premier League title.

The striker also starred for another monster club, Real Madrid, as a player before going into coaching.

The 70-cap ex-Holland international managed PSV's youth team before landing the senior job for the 2022-23 season.

Van Nistelrooy landed a coaching job under Ten Hag earlier this year and is said to have done a superb job working with the clubs strikers behind the scenes.

And now he will have the chance to show what he can do in a live 'interview' of sorts.

How long the club will give him is another matter.

Ruben Amorim

The Sporting Lisbon boss has been heavily linked with the job in the immediate aftermath of Ten Hag's sacking, with United said to be in advanced talks.

It will cost them a rumoured £8m in compo to prise him away from the club he has led to two league titles.

However, despite the strong links, nothing is for certain with 39-year-old Amorim.

He was spotted flying into London amid talk of succeeding David Moyes at West Ham but nothing came of it.

He was also said to be nailed on to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, while he was reportedly in line to get the Chelsea gig before Mauricio Pochettino got the nod.

Gareth Southgate

The former England boss, 54, has long been linked with the Man Utd job.

The former Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender has gone on to enjoy great success as a manager - albeit without getting his hands on a major trophy.

Southgate managed Middlesbrough between 2006 and 2009 before taking on the England Under-21s job between 2013 and 2016.

The 57-cap former Three Lions international then took the senior national job, replacing Roy Hodgson.

Southgate brought the nation together as he led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, as well as the final of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

However, he left his role in the summer following the defeat to Spain and was replaced by Lee Carsley on an interim basis.

Thomas Tuchel - another boss long linked with the Old Trafford job - will take over the reins in 2025.

Southgate has been out of club management for 15 years and a portion of England fans were frustrated by what they deemed a defensive style.

However, his ability to largely galvanise the fan-base and deal with the pressure of one of the biggest jobs in sport with real class would be a huge asset for United.

Edin Terzic

Earlier this month, SunSport revealed Edin Terzic is the shock name on United's list to replace Ten Hag.

German Terzic took Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final last season before surprisingly quitting.

He has many admirers at Old Trafford and it would he a smart but unexpected move to go for him if they sack under-fire Ten Hag.

Terzic, 41, did his coaching badges in England, where he was friends with fellow United target Graham Potter, and then worked as Slaven Bilic’s No 2 at West Ham.

He rose to the top in Germany during two spells at Dortmund before he walked away in June.

Graham Potter

The English boss, 49, has been out of work since being axed by Chelsea in April 2023.

Potter excited fans with his attacking approach at Brighton before he was poached by the Blues.

However, he failed to lift Chelsea out of their funk and was given his marching orders.

Potter's fans include Manchester City mastermind Pep Guardiola.

And there's no doubt the ex-OstersundS FK and Swansea boss would get United playing on the front foot, something Old Trafford fans have long craved.

Kieran McKenna

Cruelly denied a playing career due to injury, the former Tottenham youth prospect has excelled as a coach.

McKenna, 38, worked as Under-18s coach at both Spurs and Man Utd before landing the top job at Ipswich Town.

The young boss incredibly guided the Tractor Boys to back-to-back promotions, guiding them from League One back to the Premier League, ending the club's 22-year absence.

McKenna was quickly added to a host of clubs' wish-lists, including Man Utd, according to reports.

But Ipswich reacted swiftly to offer him a new, long-term contract.

However, his side are yet to win any of their opening nine Premier League games, with four wins and five defeats.

McKenna has Ipswich playing exciting, expansive football - something Man Utd fans crave.

The big question now is whether McKenna opts to jump ship or stay loyal.

Xavi and Thomas Frank are also three names very much believed to be in the running.