Next Man UTD Manager Predictions: Van Nistelrooy & Xavi Odds On Favourites
- Written by David Bet
Manchester United are currently 14th in the Premier League table following our worst-ever start to a Premier League season. The Red Devils claimed just eleven points from their opening nine games and, despite only signing a contract extension in the summer, Erik Ten Hag has been sacked on Monday 28th October. Of course, all the top bookmakers in the UK are offering odds on the next Manchester UTD manage. Who will replace the Dutch manager? Let's take a look at the Next Man UTD manager and our experts' betting tips.
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Why Erik Ten Hag has been sacked?
Man UTD have won just three of their opening nine games in the Premier League. It's the worst start to a Premier League campaign for United - breaking the record previously set also by Ten Hag.
This comes after the Dutchman led the Red Devils to eighth last term, the club’s worst ever finish since the Premier League’s inception.
After back-to-back 3-0 home defeats in the league to Liverpool and Tottenham, the Dutchman came under immense pressure form those watching on from outside the club.
Their goalless draw with Aston Villa extended their winless run in the Premier League to three matches and two disappointing draws in Europa League - against FC Twente and Porto - contributed to increase the pressure. Harry Maguire headed home a stoppage-time equaliser against FC Porto (3-3) and probably saved his manager's job. Anyway, their 2-1 league defeat at the hands of West Ham in Gameweek 9, marked the end of Ten Hag's era.
The board sacked the Dutch manager with immediate effect and Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.
Considering the speculation circulating around the club, the bookmakers continue to offer up odds on who will become the next manager of Manchester United.
So, let's take a look at the favourites and their betting odds.
Who are the favourites to succeed Erik Ten Haag?
Since two weeks ago the favourite the best football betting sites was the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. The German boss, who won the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, was reportedly approached about a possible succession in the summer by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Anyway, Tuchel opted to accept the managerial role as England head coach.
As a result, the odds-on favorite is now Ten Haag's assistant manager and fellow countryman, Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined Man UTD's coaching staff in the summer, having managed PSV during the 2022/23 season. He could be in-line to become permanent manager should he succeed in the first games as caretaker.
Former Barcelona's legendary midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who left the Catalan club in the summer, is among the favourites to take over the position on a full-time basis. the Spaniard won La Liga and the Spanish Cup in his first full season, but he came under fire after a string of poor results last term and was sacked in May.
Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim has been flirting with a move to the Premier League for some time. There were rumours the current Sporting Lisbon boss was in contention to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer summer, and he has been touted as a possible successor to Pep Guardiola at Man City next year.
Amorim has been in charge of Sporting Lisnon since 2020 and guided them to a Primeira Liga and Portuguese Cup double in 2021 - ending a 19-year title drought.
Gareth Southgate resigned from his role as Three Lions boss in July following the nation's second straight Euros final defeat, a 2-1 loss to Spain. The former England manager had previously been installed as the early favourites to replace the current United boss, but he recently stated he will not manage any club this season. He's revealed his next job might not even be football-related.
A surprising foruth-favourite is Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick. The former United midfielder had a brief spell as manager when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and stepped aside once Ralf Rangnick was appointed interim.
Inter Milan's Simone Inzaghi has been approached by the board but the Italian manager gently declined the offer.
Another highly-rated Italian manager is Massimiliano Allegri, sacked by Juventus at the end of last season. He won domestic trophies back in the days but has failed to shine in European competitions and this could be a huge negative.
Graham Potter and Kieran McKenna also emerged as contenders albeit outsiders. The former was the favourite to get the job at Carrington for the majority of last season and previous working experience with Dan Ashworth at Brighton could be a plus.
As for McKenna, looks unlikely to leave Ipswich Town in the middle of the season, despite having previously worked at United in their academy. His style of play would be perfect for a glorious club like United, so his candidature must be seriously considered should Ten Hag is sacked at the end of the season.
Roberto De Zerbi has fewer chances, since his reign at Marseille has only started last August, while Thomas Frank is much appreciated by the management and could be an interesting long shot option.
Football legend Zinedine Zidane is the fourth favourite on the list, with the Frenchman currently out of a job after leaving Real Madrid at few seasons ago. Although he tasted plenty of success, he is yet to take the reins away from the Bernabeu, which could give Man United pause for thought.
Other options are current England boss Gareth Southgate, former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, German managers Julian Nagelsmann, Joachim Low and Ralf Rangnick, Portuguese managers Marco Silva and Sergio Conceiçao, and Spanish managers Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique.
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Next Manchester United Manager Predictions
We believe there are two likely scenarios. If Ten Hag will be sacked during the season, Ruud Van Nistelrooy is our picks as the former Man UTD striker is likely to accept also a caretaker role.
Should the board decide to sack Ten Hag at the end of the season, our picks are Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank.
Next Manager Sacked betting is an incredibly popular market throughout the season with more and more bookies offering it to fans.
With a number of bookmakers it may be phrased differently with the market labelled as ‘Next Manager to Leave Post’ meaning it doesn’t necessarily just apply to sackings but also resignations and retirements.
So while you might want to bet on Next Permanent Manchester United Manager, you would also find odds for Gary O'Neil or Russell Martin to be the next manager sacked for example.