Forget Ruud van Nistelrooy - the ideal candidates to replace Man United's Erik ten Hag are clear

The pressure on Erik ten Hag is mounting rapidly, from the media at least. Patience from the fans, which was in relatively bountiful supply after last season’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, is wearing thin. All that remains to be seen is how long of a leash the Dutchman’s paymasters at Manchester United are prepared to give him.

The rumour mill, for whatever it may be worth, is beginning to buzz with reports that Ten Hag’s assistant and former United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy could be in place to take over. It would be a romantic appointment and, given that he is already at Old Trafford, perhaps a pragmatic appointment as well. That does not mean it would necessarily be the correct one.

Van Nistelrooy has a decade of coaching experience behind him at this point, but has only spent one season as manager of a senior side, when he led PSV Eindhoven to a second-place finish in the Eredivise in the 2022/23 season and won both the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield, the Dutch equivalent to the FA Cup and Community Shield.

The 48-year-old resigned with a game remaining in 2023, with a club statement admitting that his decision came because “there was not enough support within the club to continue.” On the surface, he appeared to be a victim of internal politics and he was reportedly concerned about PSV’s transfer dealings in the wake of the loss of key players such as Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke, who joined Liverpool and Chelsea respectively in January of that season. But there are plenty of stories surrounding Van Nistelrooy’s brief managerial tenure which should give Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos pause for thought ahead of any major decisions they might make.

For starters, part of the ‘lack of support’ was not related to the board but his own assistants, Fred Rutter and former Blackbun Rovers defender André Ooijer, with whom Van Nistelrooy was said to have a troubled relationship which soured the atmosphere in the dressing room.

There was also a concern over the backing of his own players, in spite of a relatively successful season. Dutch media reported that six players went behind their manager’s back to express their dissatisfaction with Van Nistelrooy’s methods even after they won the KNVB Cup final. If dressing room harmony is a concern at Old Trafford, then he would be a potentially risky appointment.

There is also the question over whether appointing what would arguably amount to a continuity candidate makes sense if the status quo is so unsatisfactory. Van Nistelrooy only returned to United in July and can hardly be blamed for the downturn in results that led to the club’s worst Premier League finish last season, but he is still one of the architects of the team which was hammered by Tottenham Hotspur in such diabolical fashion on Sunday.

Appointing Van Nistelrooy would be a gamble, and would have much the same ring as the decision to hand the same job to Ole Gunnar Solskjær back in 2018 – a beloved striker appointed to improve the atmosphere in the stands as much as to fix issues on the field. But where Solskjær, for all his flaws as a tactician, at least succeeded in getting players and fans behind him quickly, there is evidence that Van Nistelrooy may be a more difficult man to work with.

The Dutchman remains the bookies’ favourite, however, no doubt in part because of the stories gradually making their way down the grapevine that he could be in line to succeed Ten Hag. There could be safer candidates elsewhere on the list, however, with only slightly longer odds.

If a dressing room conciliator is what’s required, someone who can get frustrated players motivated, then second-favourite Gareth Southgate can’t be overlooked. He was reportedly considered over the summer before he resigned from the England job in the wake of Euro 2024 and has a long-standing relationship with new sporting director Dan Ashworth from their time working together at The FA.

His methods as England head coach were often divisive, but there is no question that he ultimately achieved better results than any other man in his position since Sir Alf Ramsey. Some fans would be unenthusiastic about his appointment, but he was popular with his players and has a strong track record. His relatively conservative tendencies as a coach would also play into the current defensive set-up at United, which revolves around a deep back four which looks to stave off counter-attacks and negate a high press.

There is a valid question over how he would adapt to a return to club management – it has, after all, been 15 years since the end of his respectable tenure with Middlesbrough – but he is experienced, steady and has a calming presence which may be necessary.

Of course, the alternative is to go with a more instinctively attacking head coach who would try to maximise United’s talented but often isolated front line. Thomas Tuchel (third in the betting, apparently) would be a reasonable appointment in that case. He has the cachet to take the job on and get immediate support from fans, and while he is certainly capable of being a prickly character and is a rather less accomplished diplomat than Southgate, he is also a proven tactician who builds strong attacking teams.

His recent stints at Chelsea and Bayern Munich have not ended as well as might have been hoped, and there is a chance that he could be the José Mourinho appointment to Van Nistelrooy’s Solskjær – a challenging taskmasters whose powers are slowly waning – but he has the knowledge, clout and skill to turn things around and reshape a stagnating squad.

Ten Hag may have hours left at Old Trafford, or weeks, or two years. Speculation over his successor may prove to be premature, and there is no clear-cut perfect replacement that can be made. Graham Potter? A slow starter whose reputation has been scarred by his time at Stamford Bridge. Kieran McKenna? Perhaps, but he remains unproven at the highest level. There is no obvious right answer. All that Ineos will know is the same thing that every United fan knows by now – something, somewhere, has to give.