Erik ten Hag is fighting a losing battle to retain his job at Manchester United with the club's new top brass already sounding out potential successors.
The Dutchman enjoyed a fine maiden season at the helm last year but is under pressure after failing to build on that. United are currently sixth in the Premier League and face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League after exiting this year's competition early.
Scrutiny over Ten Hag's position has only increased since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival at the club. The Ineos chief and his team are now in control of sporting operations at Old Trafford after acquiring a 27.7 per cent stake in the club and they will have the final say over whether or not Ten Hag remains in the dugout long-term.
It has emerged this week, though, that two coaches who have been touted as future Manchester United managers have both been spoken to. Zinedine Zidane is one such candidate; the former Real Madrid manager has spoken privately with Jean-Claude Blanc, Ineos' chief executive of sport, in recent months.
The legendary Frenchman has been unattached since leaving Los Blancos for a second time in 2021 but is still widely recognised as an elite coach. He won two Spanish titles and three consecutive Champions League campaigns across his two spells at the Bernabeu.
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According to The Sun, Graham Potter is also of interest. Not only is it claimed that he is the standout candidate to succeed Ten Hag should he leave the club, but also that he secretly met with Dan Ashworth last weekend.
Ashworth has been the subject of strong interest from United for months. He is expected to join the club from Newcastle once a compensation package has been agreed after he was put on gardening leave by the Magpies last month.
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It's alleged that Graham Potter met with Dan Ashworth recently (Graham Hunt/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)Although Ineos have yet to decide whether or not to make a managerial change, the fact that dialogue is being kept open with two coaches who are highly regarded by Ratcliffe and his team is telling.
Ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby, Ten Hag insisted that he was not concerned by Ratcliffe's refusal to publicly endorse him. He said: "I'm here, I'm under contract for three seasons, so I don't care. I am in this process, I'm only focusing on the process, so I don't care what's going on around me. I have had many talks with Sir Jim Radcliffe, also with Sir Dave Brailsford and others in that group.
"So I know where we are talking about and I have a strong belief and I feel that they believe in me. But I'm not focusing about my personal circumstances. I'm just focusing on the team and I have to find solutions for this team so that they perform the best way they can.
"It's all about focusing on that and not getting distracted by any noise or whatever. I know what I'm doing. Consistently, we have had talks and we're talking about the future together."
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