Payper Talk: Manchester United are in talks with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel if they sack Ten Hag

Payper Talk: Manchester United are in talks with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel if they sack Ten Hag

 

Tuchel and Ten Hag

Manchester United will turn to Thomas Tuchel if the club decide to sack manager Erik ten Hag, while Real Madrid are interested in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran.

 

Manchester United will revive talks with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel if they sack Ten Hag. (ipaper).

 

United’s hierarchy will meet on Tuesday to discuss the club’s plight after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe watches them play Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. (Athletic – subscription required).

 

Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi has rejected an offer to succeed Ten Hag at Old Trafford (Sportitalia – in Italian).

 

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen says he would be open to a return if Ruud van Nistelrooy, currently assistant manager at the club, was to become manager. (No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, via Mirror).

 

Real Madrid are closely monitoring Aston Villa’s 20-year-old Colombia striker Jhon Duran. (Football Insider).

 

Arsenal are interested in Barcelona’s 18-year-old Spain Under-19 forward Arnau Pradas. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish).

 

Manchester City have discussed Crystal Palace’s England midfielder Adam Wharton, 20, as a replacement for the injured Rodri. (Football Insider).

 

Everton will attempt to revive new contract talks with England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 27, if the proposed takeover by the Friedkin Group is approved. (ipaper).

 

Liverpool are keen on signing England forward Eberechi Eze, 26, from Crystal Palace. (Football Insider).

 

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are both plotting a move for Arsenal’s Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, 31. (Fichajes, via TeamTalk).

 

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been ‘let down badly’ by the Red Devils’ transfer recruitment chiefs, according to ESPN journalist Mark Ogden – with the signings of striker duo Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee being criticised for being ‘nowhere near the level’ United should be striving for if they want to be back at the top of the division.

 

Another blank for United made it four games where they haven’t scored in the Premier League from a possible seven already this season, with Hojlund failing to breach Aston Villa’s defence in a 0-0 draw on Sunday before Zirkzee replaced him and followed suit.

 

Ogden: Zirkzee and Hojlund ‘Nowhere Near The Level’

The duo have only scored two goals between them this season

josh zirkzee

The 0-0 draw against Villa ensured United’s fourth blank of the campaign, highlighting a real lack of goal threat for the Red Devils this season. Three of those came against basement boys Southampton, whilst one of the other two came in a loss to Brighton – and it appears that against sides higher up in the table, United are really struggling to break them down.

 

Joshua Zirkzee’s Premier League statistics – Manchester United squad ranking

 

Stats

 

Output

 

Squad rank

 

Minutes Played

 

383

 

10th

 

Goals

 

1

 

=1st

 

Key Passes Per Game

 

0.7

 

10th

 

Shots Per Game

 

1.3

 

=3rd

 

Dribbles Per Game

 

0.7

 

=6th

 

Match rating

 

6.56

 

13th

 

Hojlund and Zirkzee are a huge part of that. The young strikers only have two goals between them in a combined 13 appearances, and with tough games coming up against a resurgent Brentford outfit alongside West Ham United and Chelsea, goals will be needed against free-scoring outfits like the trio, who all have at least 10 goals in the league each. That has led Ogden to scorning United’s transfer chiefs for their signings, with Ten Hag being ‘let down badly’ for bringing the duo in. He said on X (formerly Twitter):

 

“Whether Ten Hag stays or goes as Man United manager, he’s been let down badly by the people who scouted his forwards. Hojlund and Zirkzee nowhere near United level.”

 

Manchester United Need to Get Their Strikers Firing

Rasmus Hojlund celebrates

United have had some legends down the years when it comes to Premier League goals, and Hojlund and Zirkzee are a fair way off that level despite boasting huge potential.

 

Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, current assistant manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all boast over 90 Premier League goals each, whilst flying visits from Eric Cantona, Dwight Yorke, Dimitar Berbatov and Robin van Persie – who all scored a minimum of 48 top-flight goals for the Red Devils each in five years or less – ensured that throughout their spells at Old Trafford, the club would always be clad with goals.

 

Hojlund bagged 10 in his first season, but only got on the scoresheet for the first time on Boxing Day, whilst Zirkzee’s lone strike on the opening day of the season against Fulham means that the duo only have one goal between them.

 

Spending £109million on the duo – £72million on Hojlund and £37million on Zirkzee – for a return of just one goal by October isn’t ideal, and though Hojlund has only just come back to action, they will be expecting more in the coming months. United have only scored five goals in seven outings in the Premier League, and that will need to improve if they are to shoot up the table and at least into European reckoning – which they are a long way from at the moment.