‘Contacted’ – Top journo drops Man Utd manager search bombshell that will have Ten Hag sweating

As Manchester United approach their return to Premier League action against Brentford on Saturday, fans have accepted that Erik ten Hag is likely to be in the dugout. 

Heading into the international break, numerous outlets were of the belief that the Dutchman would’ve been relieved of his duties had the club lost to both FC Porto and Aston Villa.

They certainly came close to doing so at the Estadio de Dragao, too, blowing a two-goal lead in under 10 minutes before being held at 3-2 until the dying embers of injury time when Harry Maguire stepped up to claim a vital point for his manager. Then, three days later, in the Midlands, the Reds oversaw a wildly uninspiring showing against Villa, with them seemingly satisfied settling for a draw from the get-go.  

Neither affair will have filled supporters with hope that United’s season is on the up, but it looks as though INEOS are giving him a chance to turn things around… again.

United make surprise approach for Sebastian Hoeness

That’s not to say they haven’t been putting the feelers out over potential successors, though. German football expert Christian Falk shared a blockbuster update over the weekend, which revealed that United chiefs had made contact with VfB Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness over the summer.

During the summer break, Manchester United contacted Sebastian Hoeneß (42), manager of VfB Stuttgart. Even before they extended the contract of head coach Erik ten Hag (54), the United bosses wanted to know whether Hoeneß would be available for the job as United's manager and… pic.twitter.com/9dGEPz1x7y

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) October 13, 2024

He’d just overseen an emphatic Bundesliga campaign in which they finished second-placed behind the invincible Bayer Leverkusen and one point above relentless giants Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, United were on the back of their worst-ever Premier League finish on record, ranking eighth-placed with a goal difference of minus one.

They were 31 points behind eventual champions Manchester City and only claimed European football – in the form of the Europa League – through their FA Cup triumph at the end of May.

Elsewhere, the Reds have again been linked with ex-Chelsea and Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel – although he is said to be in talks over the vacant England managerial position following Gareth Southgate’s departure.