Fabrizio Romano reveals Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have not held ‘talks’ with one Man Utd-linked manager amid ‘rumours’

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Fabrizio Romano has shut down speculation that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have been speaking with one Manchester United-linked manager over replacing Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos launched an end-of-season review at Old Trafford after Manchester United’s 2-1 FA Cup final win over Manchester City at Wembley in May.

Erik ten Hag had led United to their worst finish in the Premier League era, with the Red Devils ending the 2023-24 campaign in eighth place in the league table.

United were heavily linked with Thomas Tuchel in the summer, but a deal to bring the former Bayern Munich manager to Old Trafford failed to materialise.

The Red Devils were linked with several managers in the past before Ratcliffe’s Ineos handed Ten Hag a new contract extension at the Premier League club.

Ten Hag, who is under contract with United until 2026, has faced mounting speculation over his future again after the club’s poor start to the season.

United are 14th in the Premier League table and have won only twice in seven league matches before the start of the October international break.

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Romano rules out Ineos talks with manager

Speaking in his Daily Briefing column, Fabrizio Romano dropped a clear-cut update on ex-England boss Gareth Southgate amid rumours linking him with Old Trafford.

Gareth Southgate has been out of management since July after he stepped down from his role as the head coach of the England national team.

The 54-year-old former Three Lions manager failed to lead England to the Henri Delaunay trophy at Euro 2024 after Spain inflicted a 2-1 defeat in the final.

Southgate was heavily linked with United in the past and is believed to be held in high regard among the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

However, Southgate has poured cold water on the rumours linking him with United and Romano has revealed Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have not held talks with him.

“Former England manager Gareth Southgate has announced that he will not return to coaching within the next year and from what I understand he has been clear and is telling the truth,” Romano said, as per CaughtOffside.

“Despite rumours linking him to Man United, I can say that there are no talks taking place with the Manchester club right now or anyone else.

“Southgate wants to take some free time before making any decision on the next step for his career. It’s all quiet regarding the English coach’s future.”

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Ratcliffe’s stance on Ten Hag at Man Utd

Speaking earlier this month, United co-owner Ratcliffe said that it’s ‘not his call’ to decide Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford and pointed to the team in place at the club.

The Ineos chief told BBC Sport: “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach, but at the end of the day, it’s not my call.

“It’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

“But that team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July.

“They weren’t there in January, February, March or April – [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [sporting director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July.

“They’ve only been there… you can count it in weeks almost – they’ve not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.

“Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously – that’s very clear.”