Man Utd stars have already made feelings clear on Gareth Southgate replacing Erik ten Hag

Man Utd stars have already made feelings clear on Gareth Southgate replacing Erik ten Hag

Manchester United have identified Gareth Southgate as their top target to replace Erik ten Hag in the summer, and it’s believed that the England manager would be a popular appointment

Several Manchester United players are already on board with the idea of Gareth Southgate becoming the club’s new manager.

The England chief, 53, has been touted as a potential successor to Erik ten Hag in recent weeks with the Dutchman’s long-term future unclear.

And with the end of the season fast approaching, it seems there’s every chance Ineos will opt to make a managerial change in the summer.

The Star revealed on Tuesday afternoon that Southgate would be their No.1 choice should they choose to replace Ten Hag – and it’s now emerged that some of the current playing squad would endorse such a move.

Southgate has worked with a number of United players during his seven-year spell in charge of the national team and has built key relationships with said players.

His current contract is due to expire later this year after the European Championships but United are likely to try and lure him to Manchester in the summer.

Ratcliffe and Ineos are still believed to have major reservations about Ten Hag’s suitability to take the club forward. He enjoyed a fine maiden campaign at the helm, winning the Carabao Cup, but has failed to live up to expectations this year.

Winning the FA Cup and securing qualification for the Champions League may not even be enough to keep Ten Hag in his current role long term, although Ratcliffe’s current focus is on overhauling the club’s off-field structure.

Omar Berrada has already been poached from Manchester City to become the club’s new chief executive officer. Dan Ashworth is another name who is expected to play a prominent role under the club’s new regime as sporting director once an agreement for his services is reached with Newcastle.

Crucially, Southgate is well known to Ashworth. The pair have a close relationship from Ashworth’s time at the Football Association, where he spent seven years working as the FA’s director of elite development. Southgate took the top job in 2016 under Ashworth’s watch.

While Southgate is a man in demand, the FA would like him to stay on for the 2026 World Cup. Southgate himself has insisted that no contract talks should take place before he oversees this summer’s Euro 2024 campaign.

Speaking just last week, he said: “We’ve consciously shelved any discussions internally about what might be next because I think if we had sat and signed a new contract and done that before the tournament, everybody would have said, ‘Well, you did this with [Fabio] Capello and you should be proving yourself before you sign’.

So, look, I’m completely relaxed about that and I have no idea where we’ll be in the middle of July, other than I hope it’s Trafalgar Square and let’s get the party on.”