Manchester United manager latest sees owner asked key question from an unlikely source
Erik ten Hag should stay as Manchester United manager if he wins the FA Cup with 'terrible football' - but Zinedine Zidane is the one man who Sir Jim Ratcliffe should have on speed dial if he doesn't.
That's the view of former United forward Dwight Yorke as Ten Hag's job continues to come under the microscope after an underwhelming campaign. The Red Devils scraped into the FA Cup final on Sunday with a fortunate penalty shoot-out win over Coventry City at Wembley. Having led 3-0 after an hour against the Championship side, an embarrassing collapse saw Coventry draw level and take the game to extra time, before seemingly scoring a last-gasp winner only for VAR to chalk it out.
United eventually progressed via spot-kicks to set up a second successive all-Manchester cup final. However, the manner of the win - and the shambolic performances at times this season which see United down in seventh in the table and in danger of producing their worst finish since the Premier League was created - have increased the calls for Ten Hag to be sacked.
The Manchester Evening News reported back in February that Ineos and new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe were assessing Ten Hag's suitability - and that of other managers - to lead the club forward. A number of potential managers have been assessed, but with no obvious replacement yet for Ten Hag, the Dutchman could limp on to the end of the season.
One manager linked with the job is France legend Zidane. He led Real Madrid to three Champions League triumphs but is out of work and has been tipped to become Bayern Munich's new head coach, replacing Thomas Tuchel. Yorke, however, believes Ratcliffe should be speaking to Zidane to try and tempt him to Old Trafford.
Asked by the MEN what he would ask Ratcliffe if he had one question, Yorke said: "The one question I'd want to ask Sir Jim Ratcliffe is 'When are you going to employ Zinedine Zidane?'. I'd like to ask who he'd like as a manager.
"Zidane is an exceptional manager and has done it at one of the biggest clubs in the world. There aren't many elite managers out there, and not a lot of them are good enough to manage a club the size of Man United. Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are good managers, but not good enough. Man United need that exceptional quality."
However Yorke, speaking on behalf of TVSportGuide, believes Ten Hag could still have a future at Old Trafford, but only if he can lift the FA Cup against Pep Guardiola and Man City on May 25. It would represent a second trophy for the Dutchman, after the Carabao Cup win last season.
"For me, as a manager, if you come in and have a possibility of winning two trophies in two years, most managers would be happy and people would think they're doing a great job," Yorke added. "Winning the FA Cup should save your job and give you more time.
"Football is a results business, so managers should keep their jobs if they deliver trophies. But Man United have not been good this season, competing for the top six in the league and being knocked out of the Champions League group stage is not great.
"If Erik ten Hag won the FA Cup and makes it two trophies in two years, even with terrible football which is not the Man United way, I think it might just save his job."
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