The real reason Man Utd have not sacked Erik ten Hag as new former Chelsea boss linked

Erik ten Hag remains the manager of Manchester United after the international break despite a poor run of Premier League and Europa League form

Thomas Tuchel will be the new England head coach from January 1 onwards. He is another name out of the running for the Manchester Untied job, therefore.

Former Chelsea boss Tuchel was heavily linked with the Old Trafford job, despite the fact Erik ten Hag remains in situ. Rumours around the Dutchman's future persist, although two weeks of the international break are now up and the trigger has not been pulled by INEOS.

United are 14th in the Premier League table after seven games of the season, having won just two of their opening matches. The Red Devils play host to Brentford as domestic football returns this weekend and anything other than three points will ramp up the already rising pressure on ten Hag's shoulders.

With Tuchel now out of the running, another former Chelsea boss has been linked with replacing ten Hag at United - Graham Potter. Potter has been out of work since being sacked by the Blues in April last year.

Speaking to Sky Sports at the end of September, Potter said: "I’m open to anything. I had 12 years on a fantastic journey from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the last-eight of the Champions League.

"I’d really like to spend the next 12 years in the same position [of] developing players and teams, working with people trying to make a difference, that’s the aim. Wherever that is, I'm open to anything."

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Potter is one of the frontrunners should United wish to replace ten hag at the helm, but that may not happen. Football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley believes there is a key reason why the Dutchman has not been sacked already - his contract.

United triggered a one-year extension on his contract last summer, when the FA Cup triumph relieved some of the pressure on him. He is contracted to the club until 2026 now.

Plumley told Instant Casino: "INEOS will certainly need to take Erik ten Hag’s new contract into account when deciding whether to sack him or not. They’ll have to bear in mind that they’ve backed him twice previously too – they gave him a vote of confidence when they first moved into football operations at the club, and then again by giving him the new deal in the summer. Both of those decisions will definitely be taken into account from a financial perspective and could have an impact on whether they keep him or not.

"Obviously Manchester United’s results on the pitch will heavily dictate their final decision, but the wider implications of sacking him on the club’s finances and that new contract from the summer will also be taken into consideration. Ten Hag’s contract runs until 2026 and there’s a lot of time to go until that date, so there will be a compensation package to bear in mind, so it’s certainly one to keep an eye on in terms of how the team starts to look on the pitch and whether he can turn things around."

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