Van Nistelrooy on standby with Ten Hag’s future to be decided at meeting

Erik ten Hag’s future as the Manchester United manager will be decided at an executive summit headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in London on Tuesday, with his assistant, Ruud van Nistelrooy, favoured as a caretaker replacement should a change be made.

The meeting, a regular diary appointment, is expected to be attended by Ratcliffe, who controls the football department, and include Omar Berrada, the chief executive, Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, and Jason Wilcox, the technical director.

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While there was no indication internally at the club on Monday that Ten Hag is to be sacked, the Guardian understands that should the decision be taken, Van Nistelrooy is a potential caretaker if time is needed to appoint a permanent replacement.

If the former United forward impresses he may also be considered as Ten Hag’s permanent successor. In December 2018 Ole Gunnar Solskjær took over as caretaker when José Mourinho was removed as United’s manager. Due to the side’s impressive form under the Norwegian he was appointed permanently on a three-year contract, the following March.

Van Nistelrooy, who became Ten Hag’s assistant in July, managed PSV Eindhoven for all but one match of the 2022-23 season, winning the KNVB Cup. In the summer Thomas Tuchel was interviewed by Wilcox in Monaco regarding potentially replacing Ten Hag. The German has not been formally approached by United’s football executive about doing so if Ten Hag is removed now, it is understood.

When asked last week about Ten Hag’s future, Ratcliffe indicated he would leave any decision to the executive. “I don’t want to answer that question,” said the billionaire, who owns 27.7% of United. “I like Erik, I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call.

“It’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects. But that team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April – Omar, Dan, they only arrived in July.”

Other potential permanent successors to Ten Hag include the Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

Meanwhile, United players Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Noussair Mazraoui have pulled out of the upcoming international matches for Argentina, England and Morocco respectively “as a precaution”, the club said on Monday. United said Mainoo has been “managing an issue” in recent games.