Former England manager Fabio Capello has sent a warning to Sir Jim Ratcliffe about a potential managerial replacement for Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag has been under intense criticism in his second season at Old Trafford, with Manchester United enduring a turbulent campaign in the Premier League.
United can no longer finish inside the top four this season and the Red Devils will be without Champions League football for the following campaign.
But Erik ten Hag’s men face an uphill battle in securing European football altogether for next season, with United languishing in eighth place in the league table.
Despite United’s woes in the Premier League this season, Ten Hag has reached his second consecutive FA Cup final as Red Devils boss.
The Premier League club avoided a potential FA Cup upset against Coventry City in the semi-finals at Wembley last month and punched their ticket to the final.
United fell short of the FA Cup trophy under Ten Hag last season after Manchester City secured a 2-1 win at Wembley in 2023.
Ten Hag now has the opportunity to avenge United’s defeat to Manchester City when the two sides meet again in the FA Cup final on 25th May at Wembley.
Capello sends warning to Ratcliffe
Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford has been plunged into doubt amid Manchester United’s turbulent season and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at the club.
Ratcliffe became co-owner of United after his minority stake purchase in 2023, with the British billionaire’s Ineos organisation placed at the helm of football operations.
United have been linked with several managers since Ratcliffe’s arrival, including England manager Gareth Southgate and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
However, another name tipped as a potential replacement for Ten Hag at Old Trafford is Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Roberto De Zerbi, who has been linked with Bayern Munich in recent weeks, has been widely praised for his work at Brighton since 2022.
However, Fabio Capello is far from convinced by the 44-year-old Italian’s pedigree in management and pointed to Brighton’s standing in the Premier League table this season.
The 77-year-old ex-AC Milan and Real Madrid boss then pulled no punches towards the minimal amount of silverware that De Zerbi has won as a coach in his career.
“There is a lot of talk about him being one of the top coaches in Europe because [Pep] Guardiola is sponsoring him, but this season he is in tenth or eleventh place in the table,” Capello told Sky Sport Italia, as per Tribal Football.
“What has he won in his career? A cup in Ukraine…”
Ten Hag remains committed to Man Utd
Ten Hag, who was reportedly named on a Bayern Munich shortlist recently, has continued to weather the storm and push ahead with United’s season.
The 54-year-old Dutchman remains committed to the work he started at Old Trafford after he arrived from Dutch side Ajax in 2022.
Ten Hag has insisted that his future remains at Old Trafford after the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.
When asked if he was the right man to spur United going forward, he said: “I have no doubt about this.
“As human beings and my experience that will always happen once in three months when you are not in the right attitude.
“But mostly this team has the right spirit and they execute the rules and principles of the game even if they have to adapt in their positions.
“I can only be happy and it is a big compliment for this team that they executed all that they could and they were fighting.”
READ MORE: Join the conversation with the United in Focus Whatsapp group
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
