Odds on Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 'number one pick' to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager have been slashed.
Pressure continues to build on current Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag, with the club sixth in the Premier League.
United finished third last season and won the Carabao Cup in Ten Hag's first campaign as boss.
It's been a tricker second year. Long-term injuries and chaos surrounding INEOS founder Ratcliffe's minority takeover have disrupted United on the pitch.
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They were dumped out of the Champions League at the group stages for the first time since 2005.
Qualification for next season's competition is still on, although Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are currently ahead in the table.
Ratcliffe is reportedly considering Ten Hag's future as coach and several names have been linked.
Per the Daily Star, current England manager Gareth Southgate is the favourite to take the Old Trafford hot seat.
Southgate's contract with the Three Lions expires in December and the FA are keen to tie him down to a new deal.
It could cost United £800,000 in compensation to get the 53-year-old, who is refusing to discuss his future until after Euro 2024.
The Manchester Evening News reports Southgate is now 3/1 odds to get the United job. He's favourite ahead of Graham Potter, Ruben Amorim and Thomas Tuchel.
Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in 2023 but has a previous relationship with Ratcliffe and INEOS.
Amorim manages Portuguese giants Sporting CP and remains on Liverpool's shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Tuchel, meanwhile, will leave his post at Bayern Munich at the end of this season.
When asked about Ten Hag's future last month, Ratcliffe said: "Erik's been in that environment and what we have to do is make sure that environment, the organisation, the people in the structure, are right.
"We have to do that bit, so I'm not really focused on the coach but on getting that bit right. It's not for me to judge that.
"But we’ve made some quite difficult decisions in our time in business. We’ll just be logical about it, assess the facts and make a fair judgement.
"We're not a brutal organisation really. But sometimes you do have to make decisions, that may not be popular."
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Gareth Southgate, Premier League
Daniel Marland