Man Utd transfer news

GARETH SOUTHGATE is the “obvious choice” to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United if he is sacked.That is the opinion of former Chelsea and England star Joe Cole.Gareth Southgate is the ‘obvious choice’ to be the next Man Utd managerCredit: GettyJoe Cole outlined his reasons why the ex-England boss should be the next manager of UnitedCredit: AlamyBut Cole believes Erik ten Hag can leave with his head held highCredit: GettyCole, 42, believes Southgate’s previous links with new Man Utd sporting director Dan Ashworth will help “steady the waters” at the creaking Old Trafford outfit.Speaking to PaddyPower, ahead of United’s trip to Porto this Thursday, Cole said: “Gareth Southgate is the obvious choice for Man Utd. “If you look at the ownership group, with Dan Ashworth – he worked with Southgate at the FA and it actually reminds me a lot with when Gareth took over at England and having to steady the waters.  “The fans weren’t happy, and he managed to galvanise them and it might be the right place at the right time for Gareth.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”I hate talking about next managers when the manager is still in play but it’s really tough to look at Man Utd and – knowing how football is – know that they must be thinking about doing something. “Erik ten Hag is a top manager, and he’d walk away with his head high and silverware on the table – like he did at Ajax. “He’ll get another job and that might suit his style a bit better.”United have scored just five Premier League goals so far this season to eight conceded, with a record of two wins, one draw and three defeats.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThey also failed to beat FC Twente in their opening Europa League match, and now face a tough away test at Porto before travelling to Aston Villa before the international break.Cole reckons that should the axe come down on Ten Hag, the Dutchman will be able to walk away with his head held high.Gareth Southgate drops biggest hint yet over next job amid Man Utd links after stepping down as England managerCole said: “It could be a blessing that Manchester United are playing away from Old Trafford on Thursday [against Porto] in a game when not much will be expected of them.“It’s a really tough part of our job because Erik ten Hag comes to speak to us and he’s always very respectful, he answers the questions, and he doesn’t shy away. But ultimately, it’s just not happening [for him].“If he walks away he walks away from Manchester United in the next few months, he walks with his head held high. “He won silverware and is part of the history but I think the players look like they need a new voice around them.Man Utd ratings vs TottenhamMANCHESTER UNITED suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Tottenham at Old Trafford.Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half for fouling James Maddison, forcing Erik Ten Hag’s side to play with 10 men against Ange Postecoglou’s team.After back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente fans hoped United would redeem themselves against Spurs.However, the match at Old Trafford quickly turned sour. Brennan Johnson scored early and things worsened when Fernandes was sent off allowing Spurs to extend their lead to 3-0.And here is how SunSports Charlie Wyett rated the Manchester United stars.Andre Onana – 5Stood his ground to deliver a good save from Timo Werner who was clean through – no chance for either goal.Noussair Mazraoui – 5First in the refs’ book for chopping down Destiny Udogie. Could also have blocked Micky van de Ven for the goal. Just watched Solanke make it 3-0.Matthijs de Ligt – 4Shocking first half. Failed to cut out the cross from Micky van de Ven which led to the first goal.Lisandro Martinez – 5Switched off for the Spurs goal and was drawn to the ball and Johnson was left unmarked.Diogo Dalot – 5Gave the ball away in dangerous areas and struggled against Johnson.Manuel Ugarte – 5Suffered a stinker and was lucky to last until the 73rd minute.Kobbie Mainoo – 5Not one of his better performances and was taken off just before half-time following Fernandes’ sending-off.Marcus Rashford – 5Over-ran the ball for Tottenham’s first. Way off the pace.Bruno Fernandes – 4Arguably the worst captain in United’s history. Deserved red card for his challenge on James Maddison.Alejandro Garnacho – 6Had United’s only chance in the first half but hit the outside of the post. Improved in the second half.Joshua Zirkzee – 5Looked completely lost up front – threatening to be another poor Erik ten Hag signing. Replaced at half-time.Subs:Mount (for Mainoo 45)  5, Casemiro (for Zirkzee 46) 7, Hojlund (for Rashford 73) 5, Eriksen (for Ugarte 73) 5.“It’s really tough but I’m only going off what I see and how the players are reacting. “The body language, they look lost and it’s hard because it’s Erik ten Hag’s team not doing well. “He’s got a fantastic but tough job and he’s a nice guy but I just think it may have run its course.”On the game against Porto this week, Cole added: “The problem with Manchester United coming to town, is when they’re a wounded animal, the name is still Manchester United. READ MORE SUN STORIES”The Porto players will be up for it, the manager and fans will be too and the whole place will be a cauldron. “I’ve played there and it’s a tough place and I can only see a Porto win, I really can. I’d go with 3-1 Porto.”Southgate turned England from deluded group of individuals into heroes who love pulling on white shirt, writes Charlie WyettGARETH SOUTHGATE won nothing but changed everything, writes Charlie Wyett.The decision for him to resign is the correct one but Southgate leaves a legacy which will hugely benefit his successor.So how will he be viewed in history? It might be kinder in a few years’ time.At the moment, there is still so much frustration at the way it all ended in Berlin.Yet Southgate is second only to Sir Alf Ramsey in terms of overall success and no other manager gets close.To get to two major finals — one on foreign soil for the first time — was a huge achievement.So was the overhaul of a dysfunctional football team which had just lost to Iceland at Euro 2016.The players were so paranoid they even refused to tell us in France who was the best at playing table tennis.That deluded group of individuals thought everyone was against them — and they weren’t.Southgate changed all that with a far more grown-up approach.He encouraged the players to tell their own story, to express themselves, and he got rid of a siege mentality that did not need to exist.Former manager Fabio Capello used to moan that the England team played with fear.Under Southgate, players loved pulling on that white shirt.There were no more cliques, no more egos and no more pulling out of squads with dubious injuries which then cleared up by the next Prem game.Southgate created a club atmosphere within the England team and now you only have to look at the pictures each time the players greet each other at St George’s Park.They are all mates, pulling together in the same direction, as it should be.Southgate has been a class act and he leaves with his head held high.England just fell short with him in charge. There’s no denying that.But let’s hope Southgate will still get the respect he deserves and is remembered as the man who did, indeed, change everything.Read Charlie Wyett’s full article on Gareth Southgate.Or check out all of Charlie’s Euro 2024 columns. More

ERIK TEN HAG could be due a huge payout if he is sacked after only signing a contract extension in the summer.New minority club chiefs Ineos – headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – backed the Dutchman to turn things around after a difficult season beset by injuries.The cost for Man Utd to sack Erik ten Hag has been revealedCredit: PASir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos bosses handed him a contract extension in JulyCredit: AlamyUnited registered their lowest-ever position in the Premier League by finishing eighth and came last in their Champions League group, with only victory in the FA Cup providing any reason to cheer.Ten Hag, 54, was handed an extension to his previous deal that brings his expiry date up to June 2026.However, having won just three of their opening eight games in all competitions this season along with some dreadful performances, the pressure is mounting.Despite calls for his head from outside the club, reports suggest that internally bosses are still backing the former Ajax manager for the now.READ MORE ON MAN UTDTen Hag has pivotal games against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the league this week, which could ultimately determine his position after the international break.But according to a report from Goal, it will cost United £17.5million to give Ten Hag the boot.This is thought to be £7.5m more than the £10m it would have cost to part ways in June.The pay-off is around half the money saved by the club after making 250 members of staff redundant earlier this year.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSTen Hag claims he is not worried about his future, saying: “No, I’m not thinking about this.”We all made this decision to stay together, as an ownership, as a leadership group in the summer. ‘It doesn’t come for free’ – Graham Potter reveals shock reason for 18 months of unemployment since Chelsea axe”Also we made the decision from a clear review what we have to improve as an organisation, but we knew it will take some time.”We are all on one page, or in one boat, together – the ownership, the leadership group, the staff and the players as well. I don’t have that concern.Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man UtdSunSport’s DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag’s time at Man Utd is up… and explains what’s wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.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.Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.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 be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.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.”Of course, there is always a new game, it will be a new day. We will bounce back.”A lack of viable options in the managerial market was cited as one of the reasons behind the club sticking with Ten Hag.However, talk of his potential replacement – such as former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, ex-England boss Gareth Southgate or assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – has grown in recent weeks.Man Utd face four away games in their next five fixtures More