Sir Jim Ratcliffe flies to England as Manchester United contact “world-leading coach”

Manchester United are reportedly set to contact a “world-leading coach” as Sir Jim Ratcliffe flies to England with Erik ten Hag feeling the pressure of being sacked.

Erik ten Hag is under mounting pressure as Manchester United manager after suffering a third Premier League defeat in just six matches this season.

Now sitting 13th in the league table, the team’s struggles continued with a disappointing home draw against FC Twente in the Europa League, intensifying fan unrest and calls for the Dutchman’s dismissal.

Read More: Erik ten Hag pinpoints Manchester United’s collapse on four of his stars vs Porto

Recent results have been particularly damaging, including a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham and a chaotic 3-3 draw against Porto. Despite fielding a squad featuring eight of his own signings, Ten Hag’s teams have appeared disorganised and erratic.

United squandered a 2-0 lead in the Porto match, only salvaging a point through Harry Maguire’s stoppage-time header after Bruno Fernandes was sent off.

With many fans now demanding that the Dutch coach be sacked from his position as manager, iSport have now reported that United are expected to resume talks with former Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel if they decide to sack Ten Hag.

The German manager is said to have supporters in the club’s hierarchy and is considered a “world-leading coach”.

Tuchel was one of the managers that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team spoke to while they were considering a managerial change in the summer. However, talks broke down due to disagreements about how much power Tuchel would have and the financial package.

But with talks for Tuchel reportedly heating back up, Ratcliffe is set to fly to England this weekend.

This is according to The Athletic, as Ratcliffe reportedly plans to attend the upcoming away fixture against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon as his club resumes their Premier League campaign.

Villa are fresh off the back of defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 at their ground in the Champions League and sit just two points off Liverpool at the top of the table, although they sit in 5th.

Ratcliffe, who holds an ultimate say on Ten Hag’s future, is known to hold strong opinions and will no doubt have been watching the club’s recent failures. Should the manager’s side lose against Aston Villa, this may spell the end for him.

The international break will commence after Sunday’s game. The two-week pause on club football will give the club’s leadership team time to reflect on the season and make a more concrete decision about their fate.

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