With Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS now in charge of Manchester United, it’s unknown what will unfold over the summer.
The future of Erik ten Hag, some of his players, and even the backroom staff are all under inspection, as the below-standard function of the club looks to be a characteristic of the past.
Despite the Dutch boss winning the FA Cup last weekend over Manchester City, the poor performances from the entire campaign are still at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
Therefore, it might well be a good idea for the Red Devils to source a replacement.
New candidate emerges to replace Ten Hag
Despite reports suggesting that Ten Hag’s time at United was over last week, he’s still set to be in the Old Trafford dugout in August at this point.
However, according to a report from James Ducker of The Telegraph, Man United have held talks with former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, as well as Thomas Frank.
Man Utd previously listed the Argentine as a potential manager when they originally appointed Ten Hag, and he could be the man to replace the former Ajax boss.
Pochettino’s surprise exit from Stamford Bridge has given United a huge decision to make, which has an upcoming deadline.
Pochettino's next Harry Kane
Since switching Bergamo for Manchester last summer, Rasmus Hojlund has provided enough evidence to suggest that his £72m price tag was worth it.
Despite being just 21 years of age, the Dane instantly became the first-choice number nine at United, playing through injuries and spells of bad form due to the lack of depth in the striker role.
Regardless, the number 11 has scored 10 goals in the Premier League this season, which is a remarkable return, especially considering he’s had an xG of just 7.64.
However, the fact that he’s overperformed his expected output proves that he’s a clinical finisher, which indicates that in the right setup, he’d explode.
But with Pochettino potentially becoming the new boss, Hojlund will have the opportunity to work under the manager who oversaw the development of Harry Kane, the second-highest Premier League goalscorer of all time.
Under the Argentine, England’s captain scored an astounding 169 goals in 242 games, which highlights that the boss knows how to get the best out of his centre-forward. Let us not forget either, that this is a manager to have worked with Kylian Mbappe too.
Given his role in Kane’s rise to success, Hojlund must be licking his lips at the prospect of being coached by Pochettino – a manager who has also worked wonders with other youngsters in Cole Palmer and Dele Alli too. Indeed, the striker would surely get more chances in a possession-based setup.
1. Harry Kane
242
169
27
2. Heung-min Son
203
75
35
3. Kylian Mbappe
75
67
34
4. Christian Eriksen
255
58
75
5. Dele Alli
194
55
48
6. Erik Lamela
183
31
38
7. Cole Palmer
45
25
15
Just take Chelsea's attacking statistics from this season compared to United's; for example, it's no wonder the Denmark international has struggled to have any influence at times, as he's often forced to create his own chances from nothing.
Goals scored
2
1.5
Shots
14.4
14.5
Big chances created
3.2
2.1
Big chances missed
1.9
1.3
Corners
5.3
5.9
Nonetheless, it’s quite clear that Pochettino would have the ability to take the Dane to the next level, especially as the striker has an elite mindset and the desperation to succeed.
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