Richard Arnold keen on securing Erik ten Hag as the new Manchester United manager
According to The Sun, Manchester United chief Richard Arnold looks set to go against the players’ wishes in the hunt for a new permanent manager at the end of the season.
The Red Devils hired Ralf Rangnick as an interim manager following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal earlier this season. The German will see out the season before moving onto a consultation role at Old Trafford. Bringing in a new permanent manager is one of the club’s key targets in the coming months.
One of the favourites for the job is Paris Saint-Germain boss, Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine is on shaky ground at the Parc des Princes and could be available in the summer. More so, he also has experience of managing in the Premier League having enjoyed excellent spells at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur earlier.
Perhaps the biggest advantage the 29-year-old possesses is that he has the Man United players’ backing. A popular name among the players, Pochettino was on Ed Woodward’s radar following Solskjaer’s sacking. It wasn’t to be and the South American is still at PSG.
Ten Hag over Poch?
While Pochettino is in the fray, he is not alone. Ajax Amsterdam manager, Erik ten Hag is also one of the favourites for the job. The Dutchman has Rangnick’s vote of confidence and also appears to have found a follower in Arnold. The Red Devils honcho appears to be sold on the 52-year-old and has plans to sign him over Pochettino.
Ten Hag is certainly the more accomplished choice having not just led Ajax to numerous trophies but also his ability to rebuild a side despite losing key players. The 52-year-old has turned the Dutch giants into a formidable outfit that is solid at the back while still managing to instil an attacking brand of football.
As things stand, Arnold appears to be sold on Rangnick’s pitch for ten Hag and could very well move to land the manager ahead of next season. Given that Rangnick was brought in to turn the club’s fortunes around, it would make little sense for Man United to not heed the very advice they pay him to give.
The man for the job
The sooner a decision is made, the better. We cannot afford to lose more ground to those teams above us in the pecking order. The likes of Liverpool and Manchester City are not just better-run clubs but also cater their functioning according to their manager’s vision of the organisation.
Ten Hag isn’t just a visionary of sorts but is also young enough to forge a long-term plan at Old Trafford. Whether he will be the man entrusted with the job or the Red Devils will eventually look elsewhere remains to be seen.
Arnold will do well to focus on what Rangnick says rather than what the players want. Man United have struggled of late under different managers with the players being the only constant. It can be argued that the fault lies with giving them too many players in off-the-field matters, especially when their performance on it is sorely lacking.
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The decision has to be taken into account keeping Man United’s hopes and aspirations in place, even if it seems at the cost of disgruntling the players. It is time that the prima-donnas realise that they serve the club and it is not the other way around.
