Title-winning coach eager to join Man Utd as new Ten Hag replacement targets begin to emerge

Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi is intrigued by the possibility of joining Manchester United and replacing Erik ten Hag, it has been claimed.

Ten Hag became Man Utd’s new manager in the summer of 2022 and he has since helped the Red Devils win the League Cup and FA Cup, though he has still spent the majority of his time in charge seemingly under pressure. The Dutchman was criticised as Man Utd fell from third to eighth in the Premier League last season, behind the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

Man Utd chiefs Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth were heavily tipped to sack Ten Hag, but he managed to stay in the job. The FA Cup final victory over Manchester City will have helped his cause massively, while it has been reported that Man Utd also failed to advance in negotiations with managerial target Thomas Tuchel.

Ten Hag came under fire again when his side were beaten 3-0 by Liverpool at Old Trafford before the international break.

This led to calls that Ratcliffe could wield the axe if Man Utd failed to show any signs of improvement over the last few weeks. They have since scored a combined 10 goals in wins over Southampton and Barnsley and were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Ten Hag’s job appears to be safe for now, but the Man Utd hierarchy are likely to revisit his situation around Christmas time. If the team still has not taken significant strides towards becoming top four challengers, then Ten Hag will struggle to stay in the position.

According to Inter Live, Inzaghi is the latest top coach being looked at by Man Utd officials. There is supposedly ‘alarm’ at Inter as Inzaghi has been shortlisted as a possible replacement for Ten Hag at Old Trafford.

The 48-year-old has built up a great reputation in Italy, having won nine trophies during spells with Inter and Lazio. Last term, he guided Inter to the Scudetto, an achievement which has piqued Man Utd’s interest.

Man Utd latest: Simone Inzaghi a new manager target

It is claimed that the Premier League giants will quickly be able to forge an agreement with Inzaghi if they firm up their interest in him and make an approach. The former striker is ‘fascinated’ by the idea of managing Man Utd, and their offer would be ‘very difficult to refuse’.

Inter, meanwhile, have been told to ‘watch out’ for Inzaghi’s departure at some point over the next 6-12 months, due to the great work he has done.

Man Utd were linked with managers such as Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Tuchel in the summer, but it seems they are now preparing to target someone from Italy instead.

On Saturday, it emerged that Man Utd are keeping tabs on Max Allegri, who has won six Serie A titles as a manager but remains a free agent after having left Juventus in May.

It was claimed that Man Utd chiefs have held initial talks with Allegri’s entourage, and that the 57-year-old is ‘ready’ to join if Ten Hag is axed.

As mentioned previously, it is likely that Man Utd will give Ten Hag until Christmas to help the new signings settle in and try to reap the rewards.

As such, possible targets such as Inzaghi and Allegri will have to wait a few more months before finding out whether they have a realistic chance of managing the 20-time English champions.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will provide Man Utd with competition for Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson.

Man Utd have also been credited with interest in Southampton’s breakout star Tyler Dibling. Tottenham Hotspur are tracking the 18-year-old winger’s progress too, though Southampton want to give him a new contract to keep their Prem rivals at bay.