Manchester United in crisis; Premier League club needs Unai Emery or Julen Lopetegui

Erik ten Hag is under serious pressure at Old Trafford. The EFL Cup humiliation at the hands of Newcastle United and the Manchester derby defeat to Manchester City have unsettled the club’s owners. The names of possible replacements are beginning to be mentioned, including Spanish coaches Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui.

Although the Dutch coach’s first season was a positive one, winning the EFL Cup, reaching the final of the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League, the heavy investment in signings and the demands of a giant club like United make the current situation unsustainable. Some players in the squad are already doubting the Dutch coach, according to the Manchester Evening News.

European struggles

The Old Trafford side are eighth in the Premier League, their Champions League place is in danger and they have already been eliminated from one of the two cups. The way they have collapsed in recent matches is reminiscent of recent times with Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dugout.

“People forget the money they have spent. Whatever you think about the owners, they have spent a lot of money. Some of the players have cost €60-70 million. I wouldn’t have had them with me at Huddersfield,” said former Premier League coach Neil Warnock.

Neville speaks out

“Last night we saw the Theatre of Dreams turn into the Theatre of Nothing. Every single United fan bored and flat. On the pitch the players in shock, the performances woeful and a manager struggling in front of our eyes. We’ve seen it before, we know how it ends and we’ve had enough,” said the club’s former captain Gary Neville.

A change in the dugout could be seen as a solution to turn the situation around. At this point, the names of Lopetegui and Emery come to the fore. The former has a good reputation in the Premier League and is free after leaving Wolves in the summer after miraculously saving them from relegation. He is currently still living in England.

Emery winning at Villa

Emery is just as exciting, though much harder to land. His work at Aston Villa has been exceptional. He has the club fifth in the league, very close to the Champions League places. To get him out of Birmingham would mean paying a compensation clause to the Villa Park outfit.

In any case, Ten Hag’s future looks increasingly bleak and the two best options to replace him are Spanish.