Man Utd chiefs make back-to-back approaches for potential Ten Hag successor who thinks one Red is ‘very dangerous’

Manchester United chiefs are actively working behind the scenes to sound out potential Erik ten Hag successors in the event that he’s relieved of his duties soon.

Heading into the October international break, the expectation was largely that the Dutchman would’ve been axed before the side’s return to action against Brentford on Saturday. However, that wasn’t the case, and he took the dugout to oversee United’s first win in six matches. 

That’s not to say he’s completely secure in his position, though, especially if today’s report from Mail Sport is anything to go by, as the outlet claims that club executives have contacted ex-Barcelona manager Xavi twice in the last few months. 

Last Thursday, Omar Berrada fronted a four-man Red Devils delegation that flew over to Barcelona, although sources have stressed that numerous meetings have been held there as of late due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe supporting INEOS Britannia’s sailing team in the city.

Why Xavi’s Barcelona tenure ultimately turned sour

Xavi bid farewell to his beloved Catalan outfit upon the culmination of the 2023/2024 term. He left having won the La Liga title in his penultimate season as well as the Spanish Super Cup. 

His eventual departure was nothing short of a rigmarole when it came to fruition; the former midfielder had announced midway through the campaign (January 2024) that he would part ways with the Blaugrana in the summer before being convinced by the management to commit his future to the club. As such, he promised to see out the remainder of his 2025 contract.

That was until the following month when president Joan Laporta was left ‘irked’ by Xavi’s brutally honest comments regarding Barca’s precarious financial situation and inability to go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid, who were awaiting confirmation of Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at the time while flourishing with new recruit Jude Bellingham at the helm. 

Laporta and his entourage then performed a U-turn on their decision, opting to sack the Spaniard and pursue Hansi Flick as a long-term replacement.

Now, it remains to be seen if Xavi would take his exploits to the Premier League. Outside of Spain, his only managerial experience came with Al Sadd in Saudi Arabia in a two-year stint. 

Xavi has already raved over one Red

One thing’s for sure: the coach would certainly do his utmost to get the best out of Marcus Rashford. Before United took on Barcelona at the Camp Nou last February, Xavi heaped praise on the forward, who was in the middle of what would be a career-best goalscoring campaign. 

“In the transition, he is very, very dangerous, so, yes, we need to take care of all of them but especially Rashford,” he said, as cited by Sky Sports.

“He’s one of the most dangerous players now in Europe, yeah. He’s very fast. He has a very good at dribbling in one-versus-one.”