Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'planning to replace Erik ten Hag with Roberto De Zerbi'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 04 November 2023

Ratcliffe 'planning to replace Ten Hag with De Zerbi'

Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to sack Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager and replace him with Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi, according to a report.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly planning to sack Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager and replace him with Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

The owner and founder of the INEOS Group is set to pay around £1.4bn to purchase 25% of Man United, with the deal expected to be finalised before the end of the year.

Ratcliffe will allegedly be placed in control of all sporting decisions at the club moving forward, and his arrival will come at a time when there is widespread speculation surrounding Ten Hag's future.

Man United have lost eight of their opening 15 matches of the 2023-24 campaign, which is their worst start to a season since 1962-63.

Ten Hag has insisted that he can turn the team's form around, but there have already been reports that the club are considering his position following the successive 3-0 losses to Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag on November 1, 2023 © Reuters

According to Football Insider, Ratcliffe is planning to replace Ten Hag with De Zerbi, with the Italian performing impressively since his arrival at Brighton in September 2022.

De Zerbi had a tough assignment following Graham Potter, but the 44-year-old led the Seagulls to a sixth-placed finish in last season's Premier League table, which proved to be their highest-ever spot.

Brighton, who are playing in the Europa League this season, have also made a solid start to this season, picking up 17 points from 10 league matches to sit seventh in the table.

The report claims that the decision to replace Ten Hag has already been made by Ratcliffe and his team, and De Zerbi is the leading target despite the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Unai Emery and Ruben Amorim being linked with the position at Old Trafford.

Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe on March 17, 2023 © Reuters

According to BBC Sport, there will be no clarity on Ten Hag's future until the ownership situation has been resolved, with Ratcliffe's move yet to be confirmed by the club.

The Red Devils recently recorded three straight wins over Brentford, Sheffield United and Copenhagen to ease the pressure on their head coach.

However, the successive losses to Man City and Newcastle have led to fresh speculation surrounding his future, while there is also believed to be tension in the dressing room.

Man United will head to Fulham on Saturday afternoon looking to return to winning ways before travelling to Denmark at the start of next week for a key Champions League contest with Copenhagen.