Manchester United officials have reportedly already identified their ideal replacement for Erik ten Hag if he is sacked following the humiliating 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United officials have reportedly already pinpointed their preferred successor for Erik ten Hag, should they decide to part ways with him following the embarrassing 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Sunday’s defeat represented a low point in Ten Hag’s time at United, with Spurs dominating the Red Devils at Old Trafford. In the wake of the loss, speculation has grown about Ten Hag’s future, with names like Gareth Southgate and Ruud van Nistelrooy being mentioned as possible replacements.

However, reports suggest that United’s board has already identified a specific candidate to take over if Ten Hag is dismissed. Prior to the season, new co-owners INEOS reportedly met with several high-profile managers as they evaluated whether to replace Ten Hag following United’s poor eighth-place Premier League finish last season—the club’s worst since the league’s inception in 1992.

One prominent name from those discussions was former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel. According to a July report from *The Daily Mail*, Tuchel has now emerged as the leading candidate if Ten Hag is let go. While Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team ultimately chose to keep Ten Hag, they were impressed by Tuchel’s vision for restoring United to European football’s elite.

At the time, Tuchel had reportedly wanted a brief break from football after a tough stint at Bayern Munich, which seemingly took him out of the running. But three months later, that scenario could be different, and United may pursue Tuchel again if Ten Hag is sacked after the Spurs loss.

Despite the growing speculation, Ten Hag remains confident in his position. After the defeat, he told reporters that neither he nor the club’s leadership is contemplating a change.

“No, I am not thinking about this. We all made the decision to stay together, as an ownership, as a leadership group, in the summer,” Ten Hag said.

“We are all on the same page, in the same boat together—the ownership, the leadership group, the staff, and the players as well. I don’t have that concern.”