MANCHESTER UNITED’s new sporting director Dan Ashworth has met with Graham Potter as pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag.
Former Chelsea boss Potter is the favorite of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his assistant Sir David Brailsford to become Old Trafford boss if the Red Devils’ new co-owner sacks Ten Hag.
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Graham Potter is the first candidate to take over from Erik ten HagCredit: PA
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Dan Ashworth looks set to become Manchester United’s new sporting directorCredit: PA
Ashworth and Potter worked closely together in Brighton and the pair are understood to have got together last weekend.
SunSport revealed in December that Potter had been lined up to replace Ten Haga after Ratcliffe met with the 48-year-old.
Potter, who was sacked by Chelsea in April after just six months in charge, has rejected several offers as he waits for the right job to return to management.
Ratcliffe is a big fan of the former Brighton manager and tried to get him to manage his French side Nice.
The United top brass failed to publicly back Ten Hag last week when he did a series of interviews for the first time since taking control of football operations.
When Ten Hag was told this, the former Ajax boss replied: “I don’t care.”
Ratcliffe has already brought in a new chief executive in Omar Berrada, poached from neighbors City.
Ashworth, sent on gardening leave by Newcastle, is next on his agenda, with United trying to reach a deal with the Magpies demanding double the £10m offered.
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Ten Hag, who celebrates his 100th game in charge of the club in the Manchester derby on Sunday, insists he feels secure in his position after numerous talks with Ratcliffe and his right-hand man Brailsford.
But Ratcliffe has been keeping a close eye on Ten Hag’s recruitment record since his move to United in the summer of 2022.
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He had a good first season, winning the Carabao Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and finishing third in the Premier League.
But United crashed out of Europe with the lowest number of Champions League group stage points in FOUR this term.
They are eight points behind the top four in the Premier League.
Failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League will have a serious effect on recruitment.
Erika ten Haga has a tough series of matches ahead of her
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe is making a number of changes at the clubCredit: AFP
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Ten Hag are under pressure amid a poor second season at Old Trafford Credit: Getty
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