Erik ten Hag was backed by the Man Utd board during the summer (Image: Getty)
Manchester United have reportedly sounded out former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri as part of a contingency plan for the season ahead. Erik ten Hag has rescued his poor start to the campaign with successive victories, but he will need to show improvement on a consistent basis in order to secure his position.
The pressure was on for the Dutchman when he oversaw defeats to Brighton and Liverpool in his first three matches of the Premier League season.
He has since bought himself more time with a handsome win at Southampton last weekend followed by a 7-0 thumping against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.
Having backed Ten Hag with more signings in the summer and further changes to his backroom staff, United were always going to give the former Ajax boss time to make things work this campaign. But he cannot afford to get complacent, with a number of big-name managers currently on the market.
Allegri is one of them, having been sacked by Juventus in May after a second lengthy spell in charge. The 57-year-old boasts six league titles and eight domestic cups on his CV and is believed to have the ‘approval’ of senior figures at Old Trafford.
According to Calciomercato, United have ‘sounded out’ Allegri to gauge his interest in taking over from Ten Hag if this season does not go to plan.
Massimiliano Allegri’s second spell at Juventus ended in May (Image: Getty)
Allegri is said to ‘dream’ of one day coaching in the Premier League, having only ever managed in Italy since taking his first top job more than two decades ago.
United scouted out a number of top managerial candidates during the summer as part of an in-depth review into Ten Hag’s future. Thomas Tuchel was one of the bosses to have held discussions with Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who ultimately decided to give the club’s current head coach another shot at success.
Off the back of two resounding wins, Ten Hag is under no immediate threat of the sack. And returning injury absentees over the coming weeks could boost his chances of catapulting United up the Premier League table.
Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund are both nearing their returns to action, but Ten Hag may opt against throwing them straight back in against Crystal Palace on Saturday for fear of making things worse. “We hope we can integrate them in a very careful way,” he said.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1951131/man-utd-erik-ten-hag-massimiliano-allegri