Erik ten Hag Could Finally Manage 'Dream' Man Utd Midfield if He Takes New Job

Erik ten Hag could manage two former transfer targets from his spell at Manchester United after the Dutchman was linked with the vacant Wolves job.

With the club sitting bottom of the Premier League table with two points from a possible 30, Wolves decided to sack head coach Vitor Pereira, just hours after their 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Saturday.

The club are believed to be in advanced talks with Gary O’Neil over a return to Molineux, according to The Athletic, but several other candidates are still being considered, including Michael Carrick and Rob Edwards.

Erik ten Hag has also been discussed internally by Wolves. The 55-year-old, who was recently sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just three games in charge, has Premier League experience at his disposal.

Ten Hag is currently a free agent. Image credit: Getty

He took charge of Manchester United for more than two years and spent over £600 million on signings during his time at Old Trafford, with notable arrivals including Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

Casemiro was also welcomed by Ten Hag towards the start of his reign in Manchester. The Dutchman tried, like many have done in the past, to improve their quality in midfield areas.

In the coming years, several midfielders were linked with a transfer to United, including two players who could end up playing under Ten Hag at Wolves.

Andre

United engaged in negotiations with Andre's agent in the summer of 2024, according to TNT Sports.

It was suggested at the time that United were lining up a move for the highly-rated Fluminense midfielder as a cheaper option in case they failed to land Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain.

But as we know, Ugarte signed for the Premier League side in a deal worth up to £50.5 million, while Andre completed a £21 million deadline day move to Wolves.

Joao Gomes

United were also said to be weighing up a move for Joao Gomes as those behind the scenes at United looked to strengthen Ten Hag's side ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Gomes, a defensive midfielder who signed for Wolves from Flamengo in 2023, was being touted as a possible replacement for Casemiro, who was being strongly linked with an Old Trafford departure.

In fact, the Brazil international was watched on 'several occasions" by United across the 2023-24 campaign, as per the Manchester Evening News.

Joao Gomes was linked with a move to Manchester United. Image credit: Getty

Last week, Vitor Pereira’s decision to bench both Gomes and Andre for their clash against Fulham was a big talking point.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, he explained: “In the last game we played Krejci as a 6, and he gave us a lot of things against Chelsea. Bellegarde was the best player against Burnley. Joao played 90 minutes 3 days ago, so I decided to play Bellegarde."

Pereira added: “As a manager, if you don’t get results, you try to find the solutions. It’s the same with the players.”