Richard Keys leaves beIN SPORT studio dumbfounded after naming his pick for next Man Utd manager after Erik ten Hag

Richard Keys has called for a surprise candidate to take over from Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, as the former Ajax boss' struggles continued at the weekend.

United, who were unable to secure another win in the Champions League against Galatasaray last week, fell short in the Premier League on Saturday evening, as Newcastle United secured a 1-0 win at St James' Park.

Ten Hag's side currently sit seventh in the Premier League, while they are rock bottom in Group A of the Champions League following their woeful set of results in this season's competition.

With clashes against Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all on the horizon in the next two weeks, things at Old Trafford could be set to go from bad to worse for Ten Hag, who is now beginning to lose support within the fanbase.

One person who is also losing faith in the current United boss is Richard Keys, who has called for a surprise candidate to takeover from Ten Hag at United while working for beIN SPORTS. He said: "For 10 years, every 18 months we're having the same conversation. What is the answer to what has happened at Manchester United?

"I thought about that a lot and here is my theory, I would thank the current coach for his time. If I couldn't go out and get my target immediately, I would then be treading water until I can.

"I think Manchester United should go now to [Bayer] Leverkusen and they should say to Xabi Alonso 'We want you to come to Old Trafford and we will give you Saudi League money and we will guarantee you five years', which Fergie had when he first went to Manchester United.

"He for me is the individual, the coach, that might just be able to get something going. Why wouldn't he go there? He is, right now, the next best young thing on the scene. He is getting mentioned as the successor to [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jürgen] Klopp and [Pep] Guardiola."

Alonso, 42, took charge of Leverkusen just over a year ago and has since guided them to a sixth-placed finish last season and has them currently sat at the top of the Bundesliga table after 13 games in the 2023/24 campaign.