Thomas Frank is distancing himself from those Manchester United rumours with the Brentford boss keen to avoid putting extra pressure on Erik ten Hag at the underperforming Premier League giants.
Speculation surrounding the future of the former Ajax boss went into overdrive this week, successive Premier League defeats to Fulham and Man City giving rise to links with a whole host of talented tacticians.
Manchester United, in the last few days alone, have been linked with Gareth Southgate, Thiago Motta, Roberto de Zerbi and the aforementioned Thomas Frank.
Now, Brentford’s highly-rated head coach is no stranger to speculation. He has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, after all. But speaking ahead of Brentford’s Saturday night clash with Arsenal, the 50-year-old Dane was in no mood cast further doubt on Erik Ten Hag’s position.
Manchester United linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank
“There are a lot of rumours,” Frank says, via Tipsbladet. “As I have said in similar situations before…
“It is disrespectful to Erik ten Hag. He is doing everything he can to do well for Manchester United.
Frank, who guided Brentford to the top-flight for the first time ever in 2021 and has succeeded in establishing The Bees amongst England’s elite, makes no secret of the fact that his ‘ambitions’ probably extend beyond the red corner of West London, however.
“Right now, I’m happy to be where I am. It’s a fantastic club,” adds Frank, who inherited the top job at Brentford after Dean Smith left for Aston Villa in 2018.
“I have ambitions, and I want to see what opportunities life gives me. But an option could also be to stay at Brentford for a long time to come and win a trophy here.”
Erik ten Hag must convince Ineos
Frank appears to possess many of the attributes Ineos may look for if they do decide to move on from Ten Hag in the summer. He has constructed an aggressive, athletic Brentford side capable of going toe-to-toe with any team in the division – their record against ‘top six’ sides is highly impressive – while helping a host of players, such as Ivan Toney, Christian Norgaard and Bryan Mbeumo, reach levels few thought possible.
Frank, who humbled Ten Hag’s side 4-0 in August 2022, has also been full of praise for one Man United signing in fellow Dane Rasmus Hojlund.
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