Manchester United have endured another humiliation, this time losing 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and crashing out of the competition in the group stage.
Not only that, but the Red Devils also finished bottom of their group, thus missing out on demotion to the UEFA Europa League — though many fans see this as a silver lining. Furthermore, they conceded 15 goals in the group stage, a feat no other Premier League side has suffered.
As a result, questions are being asked of Erik ten Hag. According to a well-known Spanish news outlet Relevo, patience is running out with the Dutch manager. The publication even goes as far as naming a candidate to replace the former Ajax boss were he to lose his job soon.
That man is Julen Lopetegui, the former Real Madrid boss who spent most of last season with Premier League side Wolves. While many remember him for his short and unceremonious spell with Los Blancos, the 57-year-old is appreciated by the higher-ups at Old Trafford and is thus the leading candidate to replace Ten Hag should the Dutchman be axed.
The reasons for this are simple: unlike Zinedine Zidane, the highly-rated player turned manager who led Real Madrid to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, Julen has Premier League experience and fluency in English, a language Zizou does not speak.
Additionally, the Spaniard has experience in Europe, having led Sevilla to the UEFA Europa League title a few seasons ago, thus giving Lopetegui an advantage over the likes of Roberto de Zerbi and Graham Potter.
Furthermore, Manchester United appreciate the work he did at Wolves. Having arrived just before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Lopetegui guided the West Midlands club out of the relegation zone to a 13th-placed finish. Additionally, he is a free agent after leaving the club at the start of the season over a lack of signings.
And with claims Ten Hag has lost the dressing room swirling in the media, the fact that Lopetegui bolsters a healthy relationship with Casemiro and Raphael Varane from their time together at Santiago Bernabeu is a bonus.
Next up for Manchester United following their UEFA Champions League exit is a grueling trip to Liverpool in the Premier League. Bruno Fernandes is suspended for this game while Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw picked up issues in the defeat to Bayern Munich. As a result, things look grim for the Red Devils and if a bad result at Anfield spell the beginning of the end for Ten Hag, Lopetegui could find himself back in charge of one of Europe's finest institutions.
