Janusz Michallik has named the manager he would like to see in contention to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, claiming that not enough is being said about what an incredible job he is doing.
The future of Erik ten Hag remains a really intriguing debate heading into the summer. After a promising first season at Old Trafford, life has been a lot more difficult for the Dutchman this year.
Of course, the structure at Manchester United is changing following the arrival of INEOS. And thus, some have already expressed their belief that they would be very surprised if ten Hag was still at Manchester United next season.
Having said that, moving ten Hag on may not be the wisest idea. He has shown some promise since arriving at Ajax. And the United hierarchy will be aware that Liverpool and Barcelona will be amongst the clubs getting stuck into the manager market over the next few months.
Erik ten Hag continues to have his doubters at Manchester United
Manchester United have gone down a number of different paths since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped aside. And the pressure will definitely be on if they do look to replace ten Hag, particularly as it will be the first managerial appointment with INEOS’ fingerprints on.
With that, Janusz Michallik has told ESPN that sticking with ten Hag may be the safer option, even if he is not convinced about him. But there is one name who he believes should be considered if Manchester United do decide to make a change in the dug-out over the coming months.
“I don’t know. Ten Hag may just be the man until you find someone that you’re absolutely sure that you can give them the keys to this unbelievable club,” he said.
“One name that I’ll throw out at you is Thiago Motta. Because he’s been doing a tremendous job, not enough people talk about it. We know, at Spezia and Bologna, he’s used to working his way up.
“He’s obviously been a great player for the likes of Inter, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain. So he’s obviously worldly, if you will. He understands how Europe goes, which is important, because United will obviously would, at some stage, want to fight for the Champions League. That would be my name that I would zero in on.”
Thiago Motta making a real name for himself as a manager
Thiago Motta is definitely making a name for himself as a manager. Bologna currently sit fourth in Serie A, three points clear of Roma. Meanwhile, they are just five points back of Juventus. Bologna have not finished in Italy’s top four since 1967 – the year before Manchester United lifted the European Cup for the first time.
He has won nearly half of his games in charge of I Rossoblu. And he previously managed to keep Spezia in Serie A in his only season in charge of the club.
What Motta would definitely bring to Old Trafford is a clear identity. Bologna boast such a distinct style, with the manager giving his players license to move from their positions.
It could look chaotic to some. But Motta’s men seem to make such clever runs, often looking to create huge spaces for their teammates to exploit.
With that, centre-backs can get the green light to fly up the pitch if the right opportunity presents itself. And attackers such as Joshua Zirkzee can come extremely deep to get involved in the build-up and help drive the team forward. Zirkzee is one player on Manchester United’s radar heading into the summer.
Motta is yet to prove himself at a bigger club. So there would certainly be an element of risk attached if United did target the former Italy international.
But it feels inevitable that he will get his chance to take on a heavyweight at some stage. Motta has been backed to be a contender for the Liverpool job.
It will be fascinating to see how his philosophy fares at one of the world’s biggest clubs. And you would not be surprised if there were some Manchester United fans who would agree with Michallik’s view.
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