Ten Hag replacement is now a ‘clear objective’ for Man Utd as ‘bombshell’ new boss demands one signing

Man Utd now have the appointment of Zinedine Zidane as a ‘clear objective’ as he demands the signing of a Barcelona defender, according to reports.

The Red Devils had a strong first season under Erik ten Hag with the Dutchman guiding them to an FA Cup final, League Cup silverware and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

But last term took a downward turn for most of the campaign with Man Utd finishing eighth in the Premier League before managing to rescue their season by beating Man City in the FA Cup final to give themselves Europa League football in 2024.

That victory plus a lack of obvious candidates to take over saw Ten Hag keep his job at Old Trafford with INEOS trusting him to lead Man Utd into the new season.

However, that has so far not gone to plan with an opening weekend win over Fulham followed by two defeats to Brighton and Liverpool.

The manner of the 3-0 defeat at home to arch-rivals Liverpool has piled pressure on Ten Hag after only three Premier League matches and there’s already speculation that he could lose his job.

And now reports in Spain claim that former Real Madrid boss Zidane is seen by Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘as the ideal candidate to take the reins’ at Old Trafford if Ten Hag is given the boot.

It is claimed that ‘if the results do not improve in the coming weeks, the club will not hesitate to move to attract the European champion to the Premier League’.

However, Zidane ‘would not come alone’ and ‘would arrive with a list of demands and reinforcements that he considers essential to be able to carry out his project in Manchester’.

And Barcelona defender Jules Kounde ‘stands out above the rest’ as the player he wants to bring with him to Man Utd after ‘establishing himself as one of the best full-backs in the world’.

Zidane is ‘willing to do everything possible to have him in his squad if he accepts United ‘s proposal’ with the Frenchman’s ‘return to the coaching staff promises to be a real bombshell in the managerial market’.

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton insists Man Utd are going “backwards” under Ten Hag, he told casinoapps.com : “The serious point is that the club made the decision for Erik ten Hag to stay on after winning the FA Cup. It was well known that they were looking for another manager and couldn’t find one, so Erik ten Hag stayed.

“The question I think Manchester United fans will be asking after the first three games is: ‘Has there been any noticeable change or improvement? Do they look like they’re going to make progress under Ten Haag?’

“The truthful answer to both would be no. He’s won a couple of cups since he’s been at Manchester United but, overall, I think last season the club went backwards. Most people recognise that – the FA Cup win saved his job.”

Sutton added: “INEOS have come in with Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, who I played with at Blackburn, and there has been a lot of changes behind-the-scenes at the club.

“Manchester United have got a couple of tricky away games on the horizon in Southampton, who are without a win but will be looking to take a scalp, and Crystal Palace, who trounced them last year 4-0 at Selhurst Park. They’re games that United fans will be expecting to win, and they could really bring the heat on ten Hag.”

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