Man Utd have held talks with Antonio Conte and Julen Lopetegui as Erik ten Hag’s future remains up in the air, according to reports.
The Red Devils had an encouraging first season under Ten Hag with the Dutchman guiding them to an FA Cup final, Carabao Cup silverware and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

But this season hasn’t gone to plan with Man Utd struggling to produce a consistent run of results or performances as they crashed out of Europe early and struggle to make progress in the Premier League.
Having said that, Man Utd did move up to sixth in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday but they are still eight points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa and 13 points off leaders Liverpool.
There has been a lot of speculation that Sir Jim Ratcliffe could make a change when he takes full control of footballing operations and now Caught Offside claim that the British billionaire is already lining up possible replacements for Ten Hag.
Man Utd have ‘had some initial contact with both’ former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui and ex-Tottenham and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte ‘in case they decide to replace Ten Hag at the end of the season’.
Related video: United can 'still achieve a lot' this season - Ten Hag (Daily Mail)

Manchester United revel in rare afternoon of calm against a wilting West Ham

Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo celebrate
We remain quite a long way from vintage Manchester United, but this overdue return to calmly efficient Manchester United offers plenty of encouragement.
The over-the-top United Are Back giddiness that greeted the early stages of the Wolves game – albeit a game that featured a first look this season at what might reasonably be called Erik Ten Hag’s first-choice team – was not repeated here. The chaotic ultimate nature of that victory was good for the soul but not one on which to build too much of a case that United were about to go flying up the table.
This one was much less exciting but in its way much better for that. Wins like Thursday’s aren’t really much long-term use on their own. They don’t represent any kind of blueprint for how to do things more generally. What they absolutely can and must be is a confidence-boosting feel-good turning point. That’s what made this game so important, and thus the nature of this result so potentially significant. Because here was something fare more tangible to latch on to as a pointer for the future. Now that Wolves game really could be a line in the sand.
United were still some way from perfect. West Ham still had far too many sights of Andre Onana’s goal – especially in a fairly even first half and perhaps most significantly when Emerson’s decision-making let him down disastrously moments before Alejandro Garnacho’s strike made it 2-0 early in the second. Even after this 3-0 win, United still find themselves boasting both a negative goal difference and fewer Premier League goals this season than Luton. This clean sheet was only their third at home all season. They are not back. Yet.
But they have turned another corner. The challenge now is to make sure it’s not just the latest cul-de-sac. There are enough reasons to think, despite ourselves, that this might be the case. Chief among those reasons is the identity of the players powering this run for United. Another brilliantly taken goal for Rasmus Hojlund, his fourth in four games in the Premier League after none in his first 14, is vital, while Garnacho was superb again and what fortune there was about his first goal was entirely absent from the points-sealing third he nabbed in the closing stages.

Casemiro looks back to his fighting weight, Bruno Fernandes looks markedly less grumpy and even Marcus Rashford appears to have been seamlessly reintegrated. From the crisis point of last week and the stick sent Ten Hag’s way over it, it’s ended up being a very, very good week for the club.
They have now leapfrogged a suddenly stuttering West Ham into the top six and, while a significant gap remains to the top five, more things appear possible via the league than has been the case for much of the campaign.
At the very, very least, today’s events here and elsewhere must see Chelsea accept the official crisis club mantle.
While Manchester United find themselves once again looking upwards and hoping there’s no bum’s rush heading their way next time out against Villa in a suddenly very important game, there is a glumness now engulfing West Ham.
This was disappointing. While there remains no lasting shame in losing at Manchester United there is currently something slightly undignified about getting rolled over like this for a team with top-six ambition of its own. With Manchester United still so very clearly a work in admittedly occasionally encouraging progress, no upwardly mobile team should be making it this easy for them.
This was United’s first home league win by more than a single goal all season. In the league at least, this is a West Ham domestic season in danger of drifting into nothingness. That’s an improvement on last season, and the Europa League still offers the tantalising prospect of greatness, but it’s going to be far harder to hit the continental ground running if they remain in their current bread-and-butter doldrums.
You can take the glass half-full approach and note that this is West Ham’s first league defeat in seven games, or you can remember that defeat was a 5-0 thrashing at Fulham and they haven’t won a Premier League game since pulling Arsenal’s pants down in an unlikely 2-0 win at the Emirates in December.
A poor January on the pitch – which also featured FA Cup elimination at the hands of Bristol City – was matched by a disappointing one off the field. January is never an easy time to do business, but it’s clear that David Moyes doesn’t fancy a few of their attacking options and they’ve managed to balls up both getting rid of those players and bringing in replacements.

The report adds that ‘Lopetegui was recently approached and that he turned down the chance to take over as manager of Al Ittihad due to the fact that an opening at United could soon come about’ but that a move for Conte would be ‘less straightforward for United as his preference is understood to be to remain in Italy closer to his family’.
And former Man Utd captain Roy Keane thinks that Ten Hag will struggle to hold onto his job at Old Trafford unless he wins the FA Cup or qualifies for the Champions League.
“It’s a harsh word to use, ‘on trial’, because most managers are under pressure, but when you’re Manchester United manager, that pressure comes,” Keane told Sky Sports.
“Is he on trial? Yes, he probably is until the end of the season. If he doesn’t get his hands on the FA Cup or get into the Champions League, that pressure will be building.”

And Keane’s former team-mate Gary Neville also thinks Ten Hag is in a precarious position currenty, he added: “It’s the biggest decision for the new owners in the next few months.
“They’re going to bring a sporting director and a head of recruitment in, but whether they keep the manager is the one we’ll all be waiting on.”

Transfer gossip: Man Utd face Bruno Fernandes threat as Ratcliffe talks to two Ten Hag replacements

Bruno Fernandes received an astronomical offer from Saudi Arabia in January and the danger hasn’t passed for Manchester United, who have been talking to two out-of-work bosses…
SAUDIS TO RETURN WITH NEW BRUNO BID
January would have been a lot more interesting had Al-Hilal succeeded in their efforts to sign Bruno Fernandes.

According to Record, the Manchester United captain received an ‘astronomical’ offer to join the Saudi Pro League leaders last month. Fernandes, though, wasn’t interested as he believes he has plenty more to achieve at Old Trafford and in Europe.
The Saudis don’t tend to take ‘no’ for an answer and, apparently, they will be back in the summer to make a renewed bid to land the 29-year-old.
 
UNITED IN TALKS WITH EX-PREM MANAGERS
By that time, Fernandes might be playing under new management at Old Trafford…
Erik ten Hag has been under pressure all season, especially in the wake of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment and takeover of United’s football operation. Ten Hag is in no immediate danger, but it seems the new regime is keeping its options open.
Caught Offside reckons Ratcliffe and his minions have been talking to ex-Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui and former Chelsea and Tottenham manager to gauge the out-of-work duo’s interest in taking over before the start of next season.

Indeed, Lopetegui is said to have turned down an offer to boss Al-Ittihad in the expectation of a vacancy opening up at Old Trafford.
 
SPURS KEEN ON £60M BARCA WINGER
Tottenham were among the busier Premier League clubs in January – only one side spent more – but Ange Postecoglou is already planning for the summer window.
Fichajes say Spurs have been in touch with Raphinha’s entourage about a move to north London from Barcelona.
As ever, Barca are in a precarious financial position and though Raphinha is a regular in Xavi’s side, the winger has still failed to match expectations since he joined from Leeds in 2022.
So the Catalans would be motivated to do a deal if Spurs come with £60million. Although even the source of the story accepts it would be a surprise if Postecoglou invested so heavily in a right-winger given the options already available to him.

Barca, though, aren’t minded to push Robert Lewandowski towards the exit door. Sport says the Catalans will allow the Poland striker to leave in the summer if he wishes but he won’t be forced out.
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