Manchester United should strongly consider appointing a ‘less glamourous’ manager if they choose to part ways with Erik ten Hag, Ian Ladyman urged on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast.
The Red Devils suffered another dismal setback on Sunday afternoon as local rivals Manchester City cruised to a 3-0 win thanks to two goals from Erling Haaland and one from Phil Foden.
The manner of the defeat was particularly disappointing for Manchester United, who fell away in the second half and looked all at sea both physically and tactically.
Despite qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup last campaign, Ten Hag’s side have struggled in domestic and European competitions so far this season, and their poor form has prompted many to question whether the Dutchman is the right manager to push the club forwards.
Ladyman and former Premier League champion Chris Sutton discussed the Red Devils’ bitter defeat on Monday, speculating who would make for an astute successor should United decide to part ways with Ten Hag.
Sutton initially said that Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone would make a shrewd appointment at Old Trafford, but Ladyman was quick to refute the suggestion and provide a less ‘sexy’ solution.
‘I think Diego Simeone would be a brilliant manager for Manchester United for about a month. He’d come in, win the first few games, be absolutely box office and then he’d fall out with everyone in the place and we’d be back to square one,’ Ladyman said on the podcast.
‘My slightly less glamorous suggestion would be Thomas Frank from Brentford. I can hear United fans going, “don’t be ridiculous”, but why?
‘Why would that be ridiculous? Why would (Roberto) De Zerbi be ridiculous from Brighton? What problem do big clubs have with taking managers from smaller Premier League clubs? They don’t do it because they don’t think it’s sexy.’
Ladyman fears that Potter’s tenure at Chelsea boss had put big clubs off managers from smaller outfits.
He added: ‘Chelsea did it with (Graham) Potter and it didn’t work. Well, they think it didn’t work. I’m firmly of the belief that, had they not cut Graham’s legs off after seven months, had they not basically lied to him about where the club was going, Potter would have succeeded at Chelsea.
‘I still believe it and nobody will dissuade me of that. However, the fact that he seems to have failed has set the cause back for that type of appointment for many years. I don’t think clubs will do it.’
‘There’s a snobbery in the Premier League. It took Everton to be in dire straits to hire Sean Dyche. They almost went against their own better judgement. They ultimately did it because they thought they had no other choice. Why does it have to be like that? Why does the snobbery exist?’
Sutton instead feels Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou is the ideal candidate to take over at Old Trafford, while Ladyman urged that would simply be a ‘dream’ appointment.
Manchester United slipped to eighth in the league after Sunday’s defeat, 11 points behind leaders Tottenham and eight off the top four places.
Meanwhile, Frank’s Brentford, who are still without star striker Ivan Toney, defeated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, climbing to 13th in the Premier League table and to within two points of the Red Devils.
Despite heading into half time 1-0 down, United showed flashes of promise against the reigning Premier League champions, creating and missing a catalogue of golden chances in the first half.
Ten Hag’s side fell away after the break and struggled to deal with City’s dominance in midfield, conceding twice more and losing their composure with a series of wild tackles in the final stages.
The manager’s substitutions came under significant criticism after the defeat.
Sofyan Amrabat’s removal at half time left United exposed in defensive midfield and late substitute Antony, who spent a lot of the match frustrated in the dugout, was lucky to stay on the pitch after kicking out at City winger Jeremy Doku.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
