It remains to be seen whether Erik ten Hag will be in charge of Manchester United next season.
The Dutchman has bought himself some time by seeing off Liverpool to get to the FA Cup semi-final.
If Ten Hag can get to the final and then win the competition, that may well ease some of the pressure and noise around his future at Old Trafford.
New United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team are thought to be considering changes in all departments at the club. And that includes the manager.
This week has seen England manager Gareth Southgate linked with the United job. Southgate has close ties to the incoming Dan Ashworth.
And according to Richard Keys, Southgate is definitely keen on taking the job, despite denials in the media.
Manchester United’s next manager in waiting
Witing in his weekly blog post about Southgate and United’s links, former Sky Sports anchor Keys believes the England boss will take the United job if offered it.
“So football’s worst kept secret is out. Manchester United have decided Gareth Southgate is the man to replace Erik ten Hag. I get it. I can see why. Southgate is a nice guy. He gets on with everyone. He’s been a dream for the FA – very much their type of man. Southgate says all the right things and does all the right things. Most importantly – he’s got both players and press alike onside. So why not? What’s not to like? The United job will only ever come up once. If he doesn’t take it – that’s it. Despite the recent denials – make no mistake, he wants it. He won’t ever be coming from the same place of strength as he is now,” Keys writes.
Gareth Southgate might well fit the bill at Manchester United
While he might not be at the level of a Pep Guardiola or a Jurgen Klopp when it comes to tactics, Southgate ticks a lot of other boxes.
Keys touches on them in his own post and he is right. Southgate does well at managing players as people and he also has an excellent way of dealing with the media.
At a club the size of Manchester United, that media aspect cannot be overlooked.
The ties to Ashworth and the fact Jim Ratcliffe seems to like him as well all point to Southgate being in contention for the job at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag feels like he is on borrowed time really. Come the summer, then, Southgate could very much be the man in charge at United.
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