Manchester United lining up shock Erik ten Hag replacement, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe moving quickly following derby day defeat: report

Manchester United are preparing to replace Erik ten Hag as manager following another loss to Manchester City on Sunday.

That defeat leaves Manchester United now 11 points behind Aston Villa in the fight for the fourth Champions League spot, and new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe seems to have run out of patience with Ten Hag.

After losing 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Ten Hag claimed the difference between both sides wasn’t that much, despite Manchester City having 74 per cent possession and 27 shots in total, with the victory putting them 18 points clear of their cross-city rivals.

Ten Hag’s latest defeat could signal time on his Manchester United career (Image credit: Getty Images)”It’s not that big [a margin] and when we have everyone on board, we can be competitive,” Ten Hag said. “We showed in the FA Cup final against them when it was really close, but City is, in this moment, the best team in the world. Don’t forget this.”

Those comments haven’t instilled confidence with the Manchester United hierarchy, though, with the Dutchman now edging closer to the Old Trafford exit door. 

According to The Sun, Ratcliffe wants to appoint Graham Potter as the new Manchester United manager, with the former Chelsea boss having already discussed a potential move with incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth.

Potter last managed at Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)The report highlights that Ratcliffe is a fan of Potter, having previously tried to bring him in as the manager of Ligue 1 side Nice last summer. That’s despite the Englishman’s travails at Chelsea in 2022/23, in which he was sacked in April following a poor season at Stamford Bridge. 

While Potter has been out of work since leaving Chelsea last term, his previous work at Brighton seems to have earned him enough credit with the Manchester United hierarchy. 

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