Manchester United have major decisions to make on Erik ten Hag and Mason Greenwood.
Manchester United have reportedly already held talks with Erik ten Hag’s potential replacement as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS hover their fingers over the trigger. The 71-year-old’s preferred candidate has a history with Mason Greenwood, whose future remains a major talking point ahead of the summer
United were uninspiring as they lost the lead twice to draw 2-2 against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Similar issues that have thwarted Ten Hag all season were present again as the Red Devils failed to win for the 11th time in 21 Premier League games.The Dutchman is under increased scrutiny ahead of Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion investment, having overseen 14 defeats before the New Year.According to The Sun in December, former Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea boss Graham Potter is being lined up to replace him in the Old Trafford hot seat.
It’s claimed that Ratcliffe has already met with Potter over potentially becoming the first managerial appointment of the INEOS era.Regardless of whether a new manager arrives in the coming months or Ten Hag is afforded more time, a decision must be made on Greenwood.
Ten Hag reportedly encouraged the 22-year-old’s return last summer after then-chief executive Richard Arnold completed a six-month investigation into his January 2022 arrest.
Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour, all of which he denied.
In February last year, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges due to a withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light.
Arnold revealed he was “satisfied” Greenwood was clear of any wrongdoing after his review, but internal and external backlash forced a U-turn on his initial decision to reintegrate him into the squad.The former United No 11’s eye-catching exploits on loan at Getafe have seen questions about his Old Trafford future re-emerge, though.
And Potter has already experienced Greenwood at his clinical best in April 2021, when the Carrington academy graduate completed a 2-1 comeback against Brighton.Danny Welbeck had headed Brighton into a deserved lead in M16 before Marcus Rashford netted a 67th-minute equaliser.
Greenwood was at his explosive best after breaking through under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and made the Seagulls sweat early on by striking the left-hand post with a low effort.He went close again with a shot that narrowly cleared the crossbar before profiting from Paul Pogba’s misdirected shot, heading the ball past Robert Sanchez and Ben White on the goalline with seven minutes left.Greenwood will likely depart United on a permanent transfer in the summer. However, Ten Hag or any new manager are bound to play a role in the final decision.
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