England manager Gareth Southgate is reportedly Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s No.1 choice to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United this summer.
Ratcliffe is growing increasingly confident in his ability to lure Southgate to Old Trafford after his sports team INEOS interviewed United legends, according to the Star of the day.
They claim Southgate, who has been England boss since 2016, has the support of some of United’s current players – as well as new director of football Dan Ashworth.
Southgate and Ashworth worked together at the Football Association and would be open to teaming up again.
Southgate’s contract with the Three Lions expires in December this year, after the European Championship in Germany, with the Football Association keen to convince him to extend it.
England manager Gareth Southgate would be Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s No.1 choice to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United this summer, should the Dutchman leave Old Trafford.
Reports say Ratcliffe doesn’t believe Ten Hag is the right man for Man United in the future
Ratcliffe and INEOS reportedly consulted United legends, who favored Southgate
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The Star claims that much will depend on Southgate’s willingness to leave his national team role and the report states that it would cost Ratcliffe around £800,000 in compensation.
Southgate, who has managed England since 2016, has refused to discuss his future beyond the Euros – but Ratcliffe is understandably keen to make a decision quickly.
Despite reaching the FA Cup semi-finals and remaining in the race for next season’s Champions League qualification, new co-owner Ratcliffe is not convinced Ten Hag is the man which will take United forward.
Ten Hag would pocket up to £10million in compensation if he is sacked a year before his United contract expires in 2025.
Southgate’s England are among favorites to win Euro 2024 after the former Middlesbrough and England Under-21 boss led them to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and final of Euro 2020.
It comes as Ratcliffe oversees a shake-up of United’s hierarchy after spending £1.3 billion for a 27.7 per cent stake in the club.
Omar Berrada will join from rivals Manchester City as United’s new chief executive, while Ashworth is set to arrive as director of football from Newcastle United.
Ashworth, 53, worked as director of elite development at the FA between 2012 and 2018, overlapping Southgate’s tenure as England Under-21s coach and then senior boss.
Three Lions manager Southgate pictured with then FA Director of Elite Development Dan Ashworth during the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Southgate, pictured after announcing England’s final squad last week, refused to talk about his future in the role after this summer’s Euros.
Ten Hag celebrates spectacular FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday with Alejandro Garnacho – but even winning the trophy may not be enough to save his job
Despite Sunday’s dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Ten Hag remains under pressure in his second season as United manager.
The team has been inconsistent all season, was eliminated from the Champions League after the group stage and faces an uphill task to become Europe’s top competition for next season.
The Ten Hag side have lost 11 league matches so far this season and sit nine points behind Aston Villa in fourth and six behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth in the race for Champions League places.
Although the Premier League could be awarded a fifth place in the expanded 36-team Champions League group stage next season, this is not yet guaranteed.
It came as Ratcliffe revealed he would not spend money on football’s biggest stars.
Eyebrows have been raised at the large sums spent on players such as Casemiro (£70m) and Antony (£86m) and Ratcliffe wants to take a new approach in a bid to get United back on top.
Ratcliffe (right) was speaking to cycling star Geraint Thomas (middle) on the rider’s podcast
When asked if United should try to sign England and Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, Ratcliffe responded. Geraint Thomas on his podcast: ‘He’s a great footballer but that’s not our goal.
“The solution is not to spend a lot of money on a few big players. They have done that if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money.
“The first thing we need to do is put the right people in the right boxes who manage and organize the club and make sure the recruitment is correct. This is an essential part of running a football club, to do things well.