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Brentford supervisor Thomas Frank has emerged as a robust contender to interchange Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, a report by talkSPORT has revealed.
Alex Criminal and Robert Calcutt (talkSPORT) contend the Danish coach is on a “three-man shortlist” of “potential candidates” ought to Previous Trafford officers make the choice to axe Ten Hag following the membership’s disappointing begin to the season.
The report reveals Frank is joined by Thomas Tuchel and Gareth Southgate on the record with every supervisor having “admirers” amongst United’s government department.
United have endured their worst begin to a Premier League season in historical past, accumulating simply eight factors from their opening seven matches. They sit 14th within the desk with a dismal purpose distinction of minus three. Solely newly-promoted Southampton have scored fewer objectives than Ten Hag’s aspect in his third season at Previous Trafford.
The earlier worst opener to a Premier League marketing campaign within the membership’s historical past? Ten Hag’s second season in cost at United.
There’s widespread frustration amongst the United fanbase over the abject lack of demonstratable progress on the pitch, after a promising summer time off it.
INEOS, who gained full management over the soccer operation at Previous Trafford in February, performed a complete ‘end-of-season’ evaluate following the 2023/24 marketing campaign. It was designed, partially, to evaluate Ten Hag’s culpability within the dreadful season, outdoors of the triumph within the FA Cup last.
Quite a few potential managers have been thought-about as United appeared to return very near deciding to interchange the Dutchman. Nevertheless, INEOS finally reached the choice to stay with Ten Hag, awarding the 54-year-old a one-year contract extension and firmly throwing their weight behind him over the summer time.
One of many names who got here into account by United on this interval was, nevertheless, Brentford’s Frank.
The Dane has impressed since arriving within the Premier League with Brentford in 2021, usually demonstrating a capability to punch far past their respective weight by means of intelligent techniques and a deal with exploiting underappreciated areas inside conventional footballing circles.
The Bees are run in an astute method, searching for to maximise worth wherever doable; and, in Frank, they’ve discovered the best supervisor to translate this method on the pitch.
The 50-year-old’s appreciation for a system which focuses on ‘marginal beneficial properties’ is prone to be well-received in an Previous Trafford board containing INEOS Sport Director, Sir Dave Brailsford – a pivotal determine at United with a philosophy predicated on the identical precept.
Nevertheless, there may be at all times a danger when a supervisor at a ‘smaller’ membership makes the leap to a ‘large’ one; or, within the case of the Pink Devils, a footballing behemoth which shortly swallows these unsuited to treacherous waters.
Frank has no expertise on the degree he can be instantly thrust into at Previous Trafford. He additionally has not overseen campaigns in Europe, the place the stability between home and continental obligations is a fragile one, requiring expertise to navigate appropriately.
Equally, the United dressing room is an unforgiving one the place, at the least beforehand, the squad has not at all times responded effectively to managers with out the credentials to match the function. Whereas that is extra of a mirrored image on the gamers than something to do with Frank, it is a vital consideration for INEOS ought to they resolve to maneuver on from Ten Hag.
Undoubtedly, appointing Frank can be an enormous danger for United, at a time when it feels as if the membership can not endure one other managerial failure.
In the summertime, it was determined that Frank was not the best candidate to interchange Ten Hag and United caught with the Dutchman. The truth that Ten Hag is as soon as once more struggling doesn’t imply it was an incorrect evaluation of Frank; United’s executives ought to stick with their preliminary evaluation of the Danish coach.
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