Despite beating Brentford at the weekend, Erik ten Hag is still facing an uphill battle to continue at Manchester United.
The 2-1 win at Old Trafford over Brentford was a promising afternoon after weeks of struggles for Manchester United.
Goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund were enough to end a five-game losing streak, coming from behind to claim all three points and move United up to 12th.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 10 |  FulhamFulham | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 11 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 |  Man UtdManchester United | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 11 |
| 13 |  BrentfordBrentford | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 10 |
| 14 |  LeicesterLeicester | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 9 |
However, Erik ten Hag needs to build on this and beat Fenerbahce on Thursday to avoid slipping back into poor form.
If this does happen, Ineos has already identified Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez as a possible new manager who could take charge.
Xavi Hernandez is a Marcus Rashford fan
Getting Xavi as a new boss would be huge for Ineos as he promotes the kind of football that has been demanded of Ten Hag.
It was reported that Xavi has been approached on two occasions in recent months.
So if the Spanish manager was appointed it would likely please several of the higher-ups, with Omar Berrada formerly working at Barcelona.
However, it would also leave some players delighted as well with Marcus Rashford surely one of them – considering what Xavi said about the 26-year-old in 2023, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“In the transition, he is very, very dangerous so, yes, we need to take care of all of them but especially Rashford.
“He’s one of the most dangerous players now in Europe, yeah. He’s very fast, he has a very good at dribbling in one-versus-one.”
Xavi raving about Rashford would suggest that he would view him as a key player – but how would he use the winger?
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
How would Xavi line-up Manchester United?
If appointed, Xavi would bring a real contrast in style of play from what we are seeing under Ten Hag.
Ten Hag’s United are a transition team, a style which Ineos have already reportedly been keen to move away from – with a more dominant style of play which is possession-heavy desired.
Xavi would likely use a 4-3-3 formation – with the current squad at Old Trafford perfect for this.
The midfield comprised of a defensive midfielder and two box-to-box No.8’s. Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo could perfectly suit the two eight roles – with Manuel Ugarte or even Sekou Kone behind.
While the defence saw Jules Kounde at right-back, a role which could be flipped and Xavi could use Lisandro Martinez in this position on the left.
- READ MORE: Who is Lisandro Martinez? Step inside the life of Manchester United’s tenacious Argentine
The team on paper would be excellent in this fashion and we’d be interested to see a more progressive United side – but for now, Ten Hag could yet go on to be a success.
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