Julen Lopetegui now “very well placed” to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

According to several reports, former Wolves, Sevilla, and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui may be a ‘leading candiate’ to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

Lopetegui, 57, has been out of a job since he and Premier League side Wolves mutually agreed for the Spaniard to leave the club in August of 2023.

Spending just nine months at Wolves, Lopetegui who won a Europa League with Sevilla, would take charge of a team that had just five points, leading them to a 13th-place finish in a season that he would dub ‘his greatest managerial achievement.’

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Now, the former Wolves man, whose only experience managing at the highest level of club football was a disastrous 14-game stint as Real Madrid manager back in 2018, has reportedly emerged as a top candidate to succeed Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

Ten Hag’s Old Trafford future looks less and less certain due to what has amounted to a travesty of a second season at the club for the Dutchman, with United’s recent loss to rivals Manchester City only worsening his status at the club.

Madrid-based outlet Relevo, have confirmed that Lopetegui now a candidate for the position has recently rejected a massive offer from a Saudi Arabian side, as he wishes for his next job to be in England.

Lopetegui reportedly sees United as “a project that fits perfectly with what he is looking for.”

Additionally, it was also noted that the United board values the work Lopetegui did at Wolves, as well as his experience in European competitions. It is this experience, as well as the fact he is bilingual that has allowed him to become a leading candidate for the role.

Discussing the potential for Lopetegui to become the next manager of United, Dean Jones would tell GIVEMESPORT that he would be “amazed” if United did not at least seriously consider him for the job.

“I think someone like Lopetegui is actually probably one of the more intriguing candidates,” Stated Jones. “When you consider the levels he’s worked at, how he improves people, how he has fixed teams, the demands he puts on himself and the people around them, and also the drive that he clearly has to get another Premier League job and one that is higher up the ladder than the one he had at Wolves.

“I think there’s a lot to consider. I do really think that Ten Hag is on trial for the rest of the season. I think if Ten Hag was sacked tomorrow, I think Lopetegui would be a leading candidate for this job.

“I’ll be amazed if Man United weren’t to seriously consider him for the job. I think that there’s a lot about Lopetegui that makes sense in this scenario for United.”