In a week that Sir Alex Ferguson was told he would be stood down from his ambassadorial role at the end of the season, Manchester United have been reminded of their failure to find a suitable replacement since his exit.
Five permanent managers have been installed since the Scot’s retirement in 2013 and none have looked close to winning the title. The latest, Erik ten Hag, managed to record the club’s lowest Premier League finish last season.
The under-pressure Dutchman looks to have kept his job for now despite recording just three wins from his first 10 games this season. It would be astonishing to see him sacked so soon before United’s clash with Brentford on Saturday.
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The board met last week for a pre-scheduled executive meeting and all has gone quiet. Members have had a fortnight since the goalless draw at Villa Park to publicly back or sack Ten Hag but have done neither – which is perhaps a message in itself.
The situation rather has the air of ‘as you were – for now’. The truth is that United were lining up a potential successor should things have continued to go south – but the club has now suddenly seen their target become unavailable.
Thomas Tuchel was attractive to United due to the fact he was unattached to a club and this would not have incurred a compensation fee to prise out of an existing contract. The Football Association liked that fact too and moved quickly to snap him up for the England job.
United’s interest sped up his recruitment, the German signing his 18-month contract at Wembley the day after the Manchester Evening News broke the story that Tuchel was being lined up as a possible successor to Ten Hag.
United acted too slow. Tuchel had sat down with Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the summer but walked away from talks. He was one of many managers considered for the United manager’s seat but the hunt ultimately ended with Ten Hag signing a contract extension.
He has since overseen the club’s worst start to a Premier League season. The monetary cost of ridding Ten Hag now is almost certainly greater than it was pre-extension. All the while, United find themselves in a hole that few esteemed managers would agree to guide them out of.
There has been audacious speculation linking Zinedine Zidane to United. “I know a little bit, Zizou – he needs to get guarantees if he wants to sign over there in Manchester United,” former World Cup-winning teammate Emmanuel Petit told me this week.
“United is still a huge club, but not on the pitch anymore. Zizou is very conscious and very careful about that, the quality of the player.
“If he takes the job at Manchester United, that means he’s got solutions. At the moment, I’m not sure a lot of people have the solution to turn the situation at Manchester United.”
That’s a damning verdict for United, who would have been able to attract the top echelon of managers back upon Ferguson’s retirement. Zidane, who would later go on to win three successive Champions League trophies, is now within that realm.
He indeed might not be the right fit, with his lack of English an issue, but United no longer have the opportunity to say ‘no’. Further to the point, United no longer have the power to be picky.
They are faced with the prospect of having to stick with a failing manager with no obvious long-term options to replace him. Tuchel’s sudden unavailability prompts a stark reality check.
Sacking Ten Hag would incur a payout while the appointment of a manager already in employment would bring a compensation fee. It would be an error to designate this as a non-issue for the board.
Among those currently free to hire are Graham Potter, Massiliano Allegri and Xavi. None are ideal, but United are not in a position to appoint the perfect fit.
It’s a reminder of the situation United find themselves in. A penny for Sir Alex’s thoughts.
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