Manchester United have reportedly held talks with the ex-coach of Barcelona Xaviwith intermediaries twice contacting the Spanish tactician to potentially replace Erik ten Hag as Red Devils boss.
Man Utd chiefs have recently been in Barcelona for what they say has been other business matters, but there has also apparently been contact with Xavi to take over at Old Trafford amid Ten Hag’s struggles, according to the Daily Mail.
Xavi had a mixed spell in charge of Barca, winning La Liga in 2022/23, but finished a little low the following season as standards dropped significantly and the style of football left a lot to be desired.
Although Xavi was a great player for much of his career, he has yet to look entirely convincing as an elite manager, so it will be interesting to see if he really emerges as one of the main contenders for the United job .
Is Xavi the right manager to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United?
Some MUFC fans will surely hope that a few other names are considered if Ten Hag is shown the door, as Xavi does not seem perfectly suited to take on such a difficult job.
Many senior managers have struggled at United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with Ten Hag the last to look very promising as a manager until he walked through the gates at Old Trafford, as have other successful managers such as Jose Mourinho and Louis go. Gaal found
Still, it looks like United would do well to move on from Ten Hag as soon as possible after a poor start to the season, and it’s not like there are that many standout candidates at the moment.
Thomas Tuchel seemed the obvious choice for Unitedbut he recently took the opportunity to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager, while Mauricio Pochettino also recently took over as USA boss.
