Forget Erik ten Hag - Man Utd can return to the glory days with this bold next manager pick

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The Red Devils lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace on Monday evening, piling more pressure on their under fire manager

Straws; the final one, the one that broke the camel’s back, the ones that Manchester United find themselves clutching at ever more frequently, the ones out of which they appear to have built the house in which they currently reside. It is the age of straw at Old Trafford, and like a bonfire effigy stuffed with dry stalks, it feels as if it is only a matter of time before the whole thing goes up in flames.

On Monday night, the Red Devils were thrashed 4-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. More than a few teams will meet similar fates against Oliver Glasner’s reimagined Eagles in seasons to come, but right now, at the present moment in time, this felt like a death knell. United now lie eighth in the table having won just one of their last five Premier League outings, and with three games left to play this season, there is an air of uncertainty as to just how bad things could get. Arsenal are next up, followed by a six-pointer against Newcastle United, then a final day tussle with Brighton and Hove Albion. After that, there is the small matter of an FA Cup final against Manchester City to consider too, but it’s probably best not to think about that particular bloodbath just yet.

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Presumably, Erik ten Hag will still be entrusted to guide United through this snarling quartet of fixtures, but beyond that... well, it’s dicey. Big changes are anticipated in Manchester this summer. With Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally able to exert his financial influence over the club for the first time proper, and with half the squad playing like hungover veterans in a Sunday pub league, there is a creeping expectation that the upcoming transfer window could be a busy one.

Ten Hag may ultimately prove to be just another casualty of that flux. The Dutchman has been clinging on by his fingernails for weeks now, and then he goes and capitulates beneath the glint of the Selhurst floodlights and suddenly his position flits from ‘precarious’ to ‘untenable’.

But where do United go next? Several names have been linked, with some taking on a more appealing hue than others. Thomas Tuchel? Sure. Gareth Southgate? Hmmm, maybe. Thomas Frank? We have been here before and it never ends well.

There is, however, one prospective candidate that really does dazzle. Zinedine Zidane is, somehow, still jobless. He is also somehow still being linked with Manchester United. Now, let’s not be naive or idealistic here; the Frenchman would represent a much trickier acquisition than, say, Graham Potter. But equally, he would also feel like the exact sort of statement of intent that the Red Devils are crying out for.

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If United are ever to recapture the glory days on which their fearsome, fading reputation is built, they need a serious appointment to drag them there. Zidane would cost more and demand more than the other names that are being tossed around by the bookmakers and the gossip columnists, but there is also a reason for that. Few managers in world football are deemed truly elite; he is one of them.

The likelihood is, of course, that Zidane will not join United in the coming weeks and months. Let’s just reiterate that one last time. But if Ten Hag is to go, and if United are to guarantee success with his successor, then they could do far, far worse than bringing in a three-time Champions League winner.

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