Erik ten Hag is walking a tightrope at Man United and poor results over the festive period could see the Dutch coach fall off of it.
This campaign has fallen well below expectations at the Manchester club as the Red Devils sit sixth in the Premier League table, have crashed out of European competition and have failed to defend their EFL Cup trophy.
The problem at Man United is there is no one to decide to sack Ten Hag as Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the Manchester club worth £1.3bn, which will give him control of football operations at Old Trafford.
The INEOS owner will need to assess the club’s situation before making any major decisions but if Ten Hag cannot improve results and performances, the British businessman has a replacement in mind.
According to the Daily Mail, Ratcliffe could appoint former Chelsea boss Graham Potter as manager of the Manchester club when he takes over.
As things stand, the INEOS CEO is not currently considering sacking Ten Hag but will reassess the situation should Man United fail to turn around their disappointing form.
L’Equipe reported in May that the Englishman previously considered Potter for the manager’s job at his other football club, OGC Nice, having been sacked by Chelsea in April this year. The former Brighton boss has turned down several opportunities to return to management since as he is waiting for the right project.
Potter would be a good choice for Man United but fans of the club might not be happy given what happened at Chelsea.
The English coach should not be judged on his time at Stamford Bridge as the West London club is a mess and managers since have failed in that role.
The problem is, that Man United are also a mess, and this would be a huge risk for Potter to take as he might not get another big job if he failed at Old Trafford.