Man United have Ten Hag's replacement? This is what Wayne Rooney had to say

The former striker was asked about the possibility of managing The Red Devils.

29/02/2024, 04:12 PM +00:00

For months, newspapers, TV shows and social media have been speculating about the future of Erik Ten Hag. The Dutch manager has been heavily criticized this season for the poor results and performances of Manchester United, who were eliminated from the Carabao Cup and the Champions League, while in the Premier League they are far from the top of the table.

The situation seemed to have changed with the seven-game unbeaten streak that the Red Devils had achieved in recent weeks, but the 1-2 vs Fulham at Old Trafford sparked again rumors about a change of coach. With this scenario, the question is who could be Ten Hag's replacement. Some have mentioned Zinedine Zidane as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's supposed favorite, while other options are Michael Carrick, Roberto De Zerbi and Graham Potter.

But no one expected Wayne Rooney to join that list. The former striker was a club legend, but his managerial career is still far from successful. He worked at DC United in Major League Soccer and at two Championship clubs, Derby County and Birmingham City. In all of them the results were disappointing and that is why he is now working as a commentator at BBC.

There he was asked by host Gary Lineker: "What sort of job would you look for next? Manchester United?" and Rooney's reaction surprised everyone. He smiled, somewhat nervously, and said: "Of course, that's the aim, that's where I want to get to. Obviously Man Utd, Everton all these big, big jobs you want to try and do. But there's a process and I've got to try and go through the steps of obviously getting myself back on track and back into management to make sure I'm in a position in the next 10 years where I can go into the big jobs."

Next few games will be key

Despite the rumors, for now Erik Ten Hag remains Manchester United's manager. However, his future will depend on what happens in the decisive stage of this season. The Red Devils need to improve their position in the Premier League to reach the next Champions League, while they will try to win the FA Cup title, where they will face Liverpool in the quarterfinals.