Man Utd could make seven appointments if Xavi gets job including former Leeds coach

Manchester United could make seven new appointments if Xavi Hernandez takes over from Erik ten Hag as manager. The former Barcelona boss has emerged as one of the leading candidates to replace Ten Hag – and would likely bring a team of seven trusted staff with him to Old Trafford.

Xavi has been out of work since leaving the La Liga giants at the end of last season. United’s dismal start to the 2024/25 campaign under Ten Hag has seen the Spaniard crop up as a potential successor,with the Dutchman finally being sacked on Monday morning.

Ten Hag had survived a seven-hour crisis meeting held by the United board during the international break earlier this month. But his position was left untenable after United’s disappointing 2-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday.

According to the Daily Mail, United bosses have already reached out to Xavi twice in recent months. Rumours regarding the 2010 World Cup winner’s interest in joining United were stoked by an Instagram story shared by his wife on Sunday, where their son was seen wearing a United jersey.

Whether the Catalan will embark on a new journey in the Premier League remains unclear, but it is highly likely that he has already selected his coaching staff for the job if a move happens. That is because Xavi has consistently worked with the same team of seven coaches throughout his managerial career

They are: his brother and assistant coach Oscar Hernandez, assistant coach Sergio Alegre, fitness coach Ivan Torres, goalkeeping coach Jose Ramon De la Fuente, and analysts Sergio Garcia, Toni Lobo and David Prats.

Oscar is Xavi’s right-hand man and was a defensive midfielder in the Spanish second and third divisions, going on to manage an academy in Qatar while his sibling embarked on a managerial career. Alegre worked in Barca’s youth teams before becoming Xavi’s assistant at Al-Sadd and Barcelona.

Torres has known Xavi since they were kids, playing semi-professional football in Spain before spending three years as a fitness coach in Cyprus and six months in the same role with former Premier League club – and the Red Devils’ rivals – Leeds United.

Prats, who played alongside Xavi in the Barcelona youth team, later took charge of Al-Sadd’s U23s. Garcia was once one of La Masia’s top prospects before injury ended his career, now specialising in dead-ball situations and compiling data on opposition teams.

Lobo, a former Barca team-mate of Xavi, Prats and Garcia, was responsible for recording training sessions and matches for detailed analysis. All of the aforementioned coaching staff were born within two years of Xavi and hail from the same region in Spain.

With their aid, Xavi secured seven trophies while managing Al-Sadd from May 2019 to November 2021, including the top flight in 2020/21. He clinched a La Liga title with his beloved Barcelona in his first full campaign but faced difficulties in his final season while having open disagreements with the club’s hierarchy.