As the pressure continues to build on Erik ten Hag, INEOS reportedly sent scouts to watch a surprise candidate to replace the Dutchman as his side picked up an impressive victory.
Ten Hag is a man under pressure
No matter how often his trophy haul is reiterated at Manchester United, Ten Hag is simply struggling to impress at Old Trafford and is under growing pressure to turn things around. The Dutchman no longer has the excuse that he wasn’t backed with the right players or that the hierarchy behind him is in poor shape in its own right, with Dan Ashworth arriving alongside a plethora of fresh faces to steer a sinking ship in the right direction in the summer.
The new sporting director welcomed new signings such as Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Nousssair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte to improve the Red Devils all across the pitch in the summer, but is yet to see the rewards for his recruitment. Instead, it’s been a case of fresh faces, same Manchester United under Ten Hag, whose side are currently winless in four games in all competitions, having recently drawn 3-3 against Porto despite taking a 2-0 lead.
Recent rumours have hardly helped Ten Hag either, with a fresh candidate now emerging to replace the former Ajax boss. According to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, via Sport Witness, INEOS are now plotting a surprise move for Oscar Hiljemark, having sent Manchester United scouts to watch Elfsborg’s recent 1-0 victory over AS Roma in the Europa League, as the manager’s 3-4-3 system enjoyed another success.
Just 32 years old, Hiljemark would be one of the youngest managers in Europe’s top five leagues in a move that would see Manchester United follow a similar path to that of Brighton & Hove Albion, who hired 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler in the summer.
Hiring Hiljemark would be huge risk for Man Utd
The Manchester United role is one of the biggest in Europe and one that has only been made more pressurised thanks to the failure of every single manager that has dared to follow Sir Alex Ferguson.
David Moyes was supposed to be the successor, only for the Scot to just be the beginning. Louis van Gaal soon followed, only to suffer a similar fate in what some will still argue was a harsh decision. Even Jose Mourinho couldn’t take the Red Devils back to the top of English football. Now, Ten Hag looks destined to become the latest failure. So, if INEOS turn towards a 32-year-old manager for the vacant role, they’d be taking their biggest risk yet.
In many ways, the argument could be made that those at Old Trafford have exhausted every tactic when it comes to selecting their managers, from former players to serial winners, so why not turn to the next generation? But, for Hiljemark, the risk would also be one to take into consideration, given how failure would stop his progress in its tracks.
