Manchester United prefer ex-Real Madrid boss over Graham Potter to replace Erik ten Hag: Reports

Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on former Real Madrid manager Julien Lopetegui if they part ways with Erik ten Hag this season.

The Dutch tactician has come under intense scrutiny due to United's poor run of form, with replacements being tipped to takeover in case things do not improve in the near future.

Former Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter has been tipped by several media outlets to takeover at United. Journalist Dean Jones has now told GiveMeSport that Lopetegui is also in the race, potentially ahead of Potter.

Speaking of United's current situation with Ten Hag, he said:

"My reading of this situation, based on what I have been told by people pretty wellconnected to it, is that Ten Hag will be the man that leads the Ratcliffe era at Manchester United, but the tolerance levels around poor performances and results are going to change."

"Basically, he will be judged on what we see and if it’s not good enough, then they will be more ruthless about sacking him than the Glazers probably would have been."

Explaining Manchester United's current situation, Jones said:

“With that in mind, it's conceivable that Ten Hag loses his job before the end of the season, but there really isn’t much more clarity than that right now.

"The evidence we have in front of us shows that United remain a long way short of the expectation levels of the fanbase and so, of course, there will be considerations around who would come in if Ten Hag goes."

He added:

“My personal information has been that Lopetegui and maybe even Roberto De Zerbi would be stronger contenders than Potter and I have to admit I have extreme reservations about Potter being able to handle life at Old Trafford based on what we saw from him at Chelsea.”

Lopetegui's last managerial job was with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He parted ways with the English club in August due to reported differences of decision over transfers and financial aspects.

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How has Erik ten Hag's Manchester United fared this season?

Manchester United are sixth in the Premier League, with nine wins and seven defeats in 16 league games. They have failed to beat any team in the current top six and are struggling for fluency, having scored only 18 goals.

They were also ousted from Europe, finishing at the bottom of their UEFA Champions League group. They won one, drew one and lost four games in their group comrpising Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, conceding 15 goals.

Ten Hag's team are also out of the Carabao Cup, after losing to Newcastle United in the third round.