Fabrizio Romano has provided a crucial update as speculation continues to circulate around Erik ten Hag's future at Manchester United.
Ten Hag has been under intense scrutiny following a poor run of results. Last week, the 53-year-old was said to be on 'thin ice' at United, according to a report from The Times.
With the club making their worst start to a season in 61 years, a number of names had been earmarked as potential replacements, including former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
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Highly-rated Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim was also named on a shortlist following back-to-back heavy defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle.
But those links have since been played down by journalist Fabrizio Romano, who made his stance clear during a recent appearance on YouTube channel The United Stand.
After being asked about the situation, Romano said: "I saw all these stories and rumours around Erik ten Hag and his future but from what I'm hearing, the reality is that internally, they never considered the possibility of firing Erik ten Hag."
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He added: "Manchester United have never been in touch with Zinedine Zidane and Ruben Amorim."
Manchester United were quick to play down the reports last week, saying it was “categorically false” that they had been exploring alternatives to Ten Hag.
That being said, the question was still put to Amorin in a press conference following Sporting's 4-2 win over Farense in the Portuguese League Cup.
When asked about United's so-called interest, he said: "This year I’m not going to go back to the same conversation as last year. I’m not going to make any kind of comment on these situations."
Amorin was then prodded to make a further comment on a potential move to Old Trafford.
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"We don’t know the future, it depends on the results," he said. "It has more to do with the general idea of what we need as a team, extra pressure so we don’t hide.
"Regarding the future, I have an idea for the end of the season but I won’t say it now. But the results and the context take us to something different.
"I don’t want to be commenting on these things. I have not been contacted by Manchester United."
Erik ten Hag must have breathed a huge sigh of relief at the weekend, after Bruno Fernandes's last gasp goal sealed a crucial three points for the Reds against struggling Fulham.
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Featured Image Credit: Getty Images - Footy RendersTopics: Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Zinedine Zidane, Premier League, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours