Man Utd tipped to replace Erik ten Hag with shock name who already has 'good relationship' with three players

Erik ten Hag is facing increasing pressure as manager of Manchester United and a shock name has been rumoured to replace him at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, sealing their group stage exit from the Champions League.

Ten Hag also made an unfortunate piece of history in the process, as United became the first the first English side in history to concede 15 goals in the Champions League group stage, epitomising their problems in defence.

The result follows on from their 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League, with Ten Hag's future in serious doubt.

A number of candidates have been named as potential successors for the Dutchman, including former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.

However, a report from Spanish outlet Relevo has claimed that Julen Lopetegui is ahead of Zidane on United's potential list of replacements.

The publication claims that the role would suit Lopetegui perfectly at this stage of his career and he has the "knowledge to turn around the complicated situation" at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, United are thought to value the work that the Spaniard did at Wolves, his grasp of the language and his knowledge of the Premier League, as well as his experience in Europe, having won the Europa League with Sevilla during the 2019/20 campaign.

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These factors have reportedly bumped him up ahead of Zidane, Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi in the pecking order.

In addition, Lopetegui would enter the dressing having already established good working relationships with a number of current players.

The 57-year-old helped promote Segio Reguilón into Real Madrid's first team when he was in charge at the Bernabeu.

While he is said to have a "very good relationship" with Raphael Varane and Casemiro from his short tenure as Los Blancos boss.

The report claims that "he left very good memories among the players, who were convinced by his methods".

Furthermore, Lopetegui allegedly has a "fantastic relationship" with David de Gea, who left United over the summer but has been rumoured with a return, having still not found a new club.

Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Julen Lopetegui, Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno