44-year-old title-winning manager emerges as option for Manchester United



Former Barcelona manager Xavi is reportedly now one of the options to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager if the club do indeed decide to make a change in the dugout.

Nothing has been decided on Ten Hag just yet, but it seems we could expect to hear something soon, perhaps after the current international break, according to a report form Spanish outlet Todo Fichajes.

The report adds that Xavi is now in the frame for the Man United job, with the 44-year-old still out of work since leaving Barca at the end of last season.

Things didn’t go entirely to plan for Xavi in his time at the Nou Camp, and they look much-improved under Hansi Flick this season, though the former Spain midfielder did manage to guide the club to the La Liga title in 2022/23.

Xavi to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United?

Could Xavi replace Erik ten Hag as Man United manager? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Things aren’t going well for Ten Hag right now, so it surely makes sense that there are murmurings about the club possibly making a change, and it could well be that Xavi would be an upgrade.

While the Catalan tactician might not be in the same category as other young managers impressing in other jobs at the moment, such as Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso, he inherited a difficult situation when he first took over at Barcelona, and initially did well to get the team back on the right track.

Although this didn’t continue in his final season in charge, there’s surely enough there to show that Xavi is a name worth considering for United, who are in as bad or even worse a situation that Xavi first found himself in at Barcelona.


 

Ten Hag has been pretty lucky to cling on to the United job for as long as he has, though he has, in fairness, delivered silverware at Old Trafford, winning the Carabao Cup in his first season and the FA Cup in his second year.