Ten Hag sack: Man Utd ‘cancel’ meet with possible successor’s agent despite Ratcliffe ‘alarmed’ claim

According to reports, Manchester United are ‘refusing to meet agents if they believe they are trying to pitch clients’ who could replace Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman – who is the second favourite in the Premier League sack race – has been under a lot of pressure at the start of this season as Man Utd are going through a rough patch.

Ten Hag helped them win the Carabao Cup and finish third in the Premier League during his debut season at Old Trafford but they are enduring a poor start to this campaign.

Man Utd have already been dumped out of the Carabao Cup and they are at risk of being eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage.

The Red Devils have won four of their last five games in the Premier League but they crawled over the line in their victories over Brentford, Sheffield United, Fulham and Luton Town.

This form leaves United sixth in the Premier League and they are five points adrift of the Champions League places. They travel to face Everton in their first game after the international break before they come up against Newcastle United and Chelsea.

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A report from ESPN claims the manager ‘retains the faith of key club officials’ and they have ‘become frustrated by attempts by agents to push coaches into the running for Ten Hag’s position’. They added.

‘The representative of a well-known manager, who is out of work, had a scheduled meeting cancelled because of concerns the conversation would focus on the potential uncertainty surrounding the manager’s job.

‘United bosses believe there have been signs of progress during a week which has seen Ten Hag’s team beat Fulham and Luton in the Premier League but lose 4-3 to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

‘However, there’s an acceptance that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s imminent investment will create uncertainty at all levels of the club once it is confirmed, possibly as early as this week.

‘Ratcliffe, chairman and CEO of chemical company INEOS, is close to agreeing a deal to buy a 25% stake.  Alongside INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, he is known to hold a dim view of United’s recruitment over the last decade and is keen to implement measures to improve the way the club work in the transfer market.

‘Ratcliffe and Brailsford have been impressed by the job done by Ten Hag since he took over as manager in 2022, although the dip in form this season is considered to be alarming.’

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