Man Utd made contact with surprise Bundesliga manager this summer but he declined offer

Manchester United made contact with one of Germany's most exciting top-tier coaches as they considered the future of Erik ten Hag this summer, according to a new report.

It looked like the writing was on the wall for Ten Hag after United recorded their worst-ever Premier League finish.

In fact, just 24 hours before the FA Cup final, it was reported that the Dutchman would be sacked from his post at Old Trafford, even if he managed to win the showpiece event.

But against all odds, United recorded a 2-1 victory against Manchester City thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

Ten Hag would later sign a contract extension after the club held talks with a number of candidates, including Thomas Tuchel, during a much-discussed post-season review.

Fulham manager Marco Silva met 'face-to-face' with club executives before the FA Cup final, according to The Athletic, while Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna were also approached.

But several months after the review was conducted, another name has emerged.

It is being reported that United made contact with Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeneß to see if he would be open to taking over from Ten Hag.

That's according to BILD reporter Christian Falk, who claims United bosses were keen to know whether Hoeneß, 42, would be available – and even 'made inquiries about possible transfer modalities'.

Hoeneß, however, declined their advances after a wonderful campaign at the Neckarstadion.

The former Hertha Berlin midfielder helped transform Stuttgart from a relegation-threatened Bundesliga club to the Champions League, finishing one point ahead of Bayern in second place.

Image credit: Getty

Back in April, Hoeneß ruled out leaving Stuttgart after being heavily linked with the Bayern job. He stuck to his word.

"You can be absolutely sure that I will also be coach of VfB Stuttgart next year," he said. "If I had had the idea of changing, then I would certainly not have extended my contract."

Hoeneß added: "I am here out of conviction, because I have the feeling that we can develop something together here. From my point of view, nothing has changed."