Manager waiting for Man United job as FA Cup win may not even be enough to save Ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is surely not even safe if he wins the FA Cup final against Manchester City this season.

The Dutch tactician made a promising start to life at Old Trafford last season, guiding Man Utd to victory in the Carabao Cup final, and getting back into the top four.

However, there were some nightmare results along the way, including being thrashed 7-0 by rivals Liverpool, 4-0 away to Brentford, and losing the FA Cup final against Man City as they ended up matching their famous treble triumph of 1999.

Pep Guardiola’s side will surely be the big favourites to beat United again this year, but even if the Red Devils were to achieve an upset, it seems like Ten Hag’s days are numbered anyway.

Ten Hag out, Potter in at Manchester United?

New United co-owners INEOS are known to be big fans of former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter, and it seems a consensus is emerging that the English tactician is now the big favourite to take over from Ten Hag in the weeks and months ahead.

Potter has also been linked with the Ajax job in recent times, while he was also known to have been looked at by Ligue 1 side Nice a while ago, where INEOS also have a controlling stake.

So any fans buying FA Cup Final tickets will surely be attending Ten Hag’s last game in charge of United, and it will be interesting to see if he can do a Louis van Gaal and at least go out on a high before being shown the door shortly afterwards.

With Potter looking unlikely to take over at Ajax, it could pave the way for Ten Hag to return to the club he left for United nearly two years ago.

The Dutch tactician did great work during his first stint with the Amsterdam outfit, so even if things haven’t quite worked out for him in the Premier League, he could be a fine appointment there.

Potter, meanwhile, will no doubt divide opinion among MUFC fans, as he did tremendous work at Brighton before spectacularly flopping in a brief stint at Chelsea.

In fairness to Potter, those were difficult circumstances for him at Stamford Bridge, with Mauricio Pochettino not faring much better there this season, even though he has more experience and credentials at the highest level.

Potter would be a gamble for United, but at the moment that seems increasingly like the roll of the dice they’re going to take.