Who Is the Favourite to Replace Erik ten Hag as Man United Manager?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Erik ten Hag’s Time at Manchester United
Manchester United fans will likely agree that the Red Devils have never truly filled the void left by Sir Alex Ferguson since the legendary Scot decided to call time on his career back in 2013. Since his departure, Old Trafford have seen five different managers arrive with incredible expectations, but depart with little to show for their time in Manchester.
Following the likes of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Man United looked as though they had found the man to carry them into the future in Ten Hag when he arrived. The former Ajax boss led the Red Devils to the Carabao Cup title in his first season and a third-place finish in the Premier League in the same campaign, which gave the onlookers hope that a return to prominence for the club could be on the way.
However, the Dutchman failed to follow up in his second term, with United finishing in eighth place in the league standings - their worst-ever placement since the Premier League was formed - and many had expected that he would be sacked at the end of 2023-24. However, after pulling off a shock victory in the FA Cup final, new owners INEOS opted to retain his services and even handed him a contract extension.
Unfortunately for Ten Hag, the results this season were worse than anyone could have expected, and after losing to West Ham United and falling to 14th place in the Premier League table last weekend, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. opted to part ways with the 54-year-old at the start of this week.
Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has been appointed as manager on an interim basis and will lead the side in their clutch fixture against Chelsea on Sunday. You can check out our expert’s Premier League predictions on United’s chances against the Blues this weekend right here on SportyTrader.
Bet on the next Man United managerTop Three Contenders and Bookmakers’ Odds
Ruben Amorim
Following the news of Ten Hag’s sacking, the question on everyone’s lips is: Who will be the next to step into the hot seat at Old Trafford? According to the bookmakers, there is one clear favourite for the role and that is Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim, who took his current side to the Primeira Liga title last season and was heavily linked to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool at the end of last term.
Popular bookmakers such as Bet365 and Bwin have suspended betting for the moment on the next manager of United after Sporting reportedly revealed that a deal is close to being agreed upon for the Portuguese tactician, but nothing has been confirmed as yet and the likes of Boylesports still have odds available, albeit that they are very short at 0.20 and below.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Man United have a history of turning to former players to lead them on an interim basis with Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer having previously taken temporary charge, with the latter even earning himself a permanent deal in December 2018 which ran until November 2021.
Van Nistelrooy is the latest United legend to be tossed into the equation and bookmakers are giving him around a 6.0 chance to be handed the managerial role for the foreseeable future. The Dutchman helped the Red Devils win the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup as a player and went on to become the head coach of PSV Eindhoven in May 2023.
Gareth Southgate
Next in the running is Gareth Southgate, who is highly regarded by both the club's minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as well as his lieutenant and United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth. Southgate was heavily linked with the United head coach role at the end of last season but opted to remain with the Three Lions ahead of the European Championship during the summer.
While the former England boss stated in an interview in recent weeks that he is not interested in taking up a new managerial post within the next year, odds of around 9.0 are still available for him to make a U-turn on that decision with several top bookmakers.
Place a wager on the next Man United managerWhat Next for Manchester United?
In the immediate future, Man United will have to cope without a permanent manager at the helm leading up to their Premier League clash against Chelsea at the weekend before they welcome PAOK to Old Trafford in the fourth round of the Europa League.
Think the Red Devils will experience an uptick in form with Ten Hag now departed? Check out their latest Premier League odds and Europa League odds right here on SportyTrader and lock in your bets without delay.
Remember, you can also access our Premier League predictions free of charge ahead of the weekend’s matches, while our Europa League predictions will be available early next week. Finally, if you want to stay up to date with the Red Devils’ progress under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, you can do so via our Premier League livescore tool all season long!
