Although there have been some eye-catching stories about Manchester United potentially identifying former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui as a candidate to replace Erik ten Hag, it seems transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano is not getting the same information as some of his fellow journalists.
While there are many great reporters in the industry, Romano has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable, with the Italian journalist never fuelling speculation unless he’s 100% sure it’s going to go somewhere, and it seems he’s unconvinced by the Lopetegui links.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside about this story for his Daily Briefing column, Romano admitted that he doesn’t wish to talk down the work of his colleagues, but he simply stated that he’s not currently aware of any concrete updates on a managerial change at Old Trafford.
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For the time being, it seems United have not made any contact with Lopetegui, though Romano did admit that the Spanish tactician is keen to work in the Premier League again after recently rejecting an offer to take over as manager of Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
“I wanted to start today by addressing some of the rumours about Erik ten Hag and a possible replacement being lined up by Manchester United, with some credible sources suggesting Julen Lopetegui is gaining strength as a candidate to take over at Old Trafford,” Romano said.
“I don’t want to deny or talk down any colleagues and the information they’re getting, but all I can say is that I’m not aware of any contact between Man United and Lopetegui at this stage. There’s not a lot more I can say other than what I’ve previously reported, which is that United continue to back Ten Hag, even if there is an awareness that things have to improve.
“I can also say that, for sure Lopetegui wants to work in the Premier League again after his experience at Wolves, and that’s why he said no to a proposal from Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad recently. Apart from that, there’s no update as of now.”
It may be that Ten Hag still has time to try to turn things around at United, but one imagines some fans would surely welcome an experienced manager like Lopetegui coming in to try something different after a lack of real improvement under the current man in the dugout.