Manchester United fans are still waiting for the verdict on Erik ten Hag’s future, more than a week since winning the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The first summer of the Ineos era is on the horizon and big decisions are coming.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co saw United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final, bringing a rather euphoric end to a troubling season.
Ineos must now decide whether to axe Ten Hag for a disappointing campaign or give him another chance having brought silverware to Old Trafford.
The United boss has certainly made that decision much trickier by beating City at Wembley.
Ten Hag may well still lose his job but Ineos have to be absolutely sure that a better option would be coming in.
Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are both believed to be on the radar with United looking at a couple of former Chelsea managers.
Graham Potter keen on Manchester United job
The Stamford Bridge hot seat has been something of a poisoned chalice in recent times.
Tuchel and Pochettino have certainly found that and so has Graham Potter.
The Englishman was one of the hottest coaching properties in English football having dazzled as Brighton and Hove Albion boss.
Chelsea picked him to replace Tuchel in September 2022, but he was sacked after less than seven months in the job.
Potter has been out of the game for more than a year now – and seemingly has a job in mind.
The Sun report that Potter is wanted by Leicester City – who are, ironically, losing Enzo Maresca to Chelsea – as well as former club Brighton.
However, Potter is holding off making a Premier League return as he fancies becoming the new England boss.
Gareth Southgate could leave his post as England boss after Euro 2024 and Potter figures to be one of the candidates to replace him.
Other jobs aren’t too appealing to Potter whilst there is a chance of landing the England job, but United is a different story.
It’s suggested that people close to Potter believe that he would make an exception for United and would take the job if offered.
Whether that approach will actually come is another matter, but Potter would unsurprisingly be interested in taking over at Old Trafford.
Ineos big fans of Potter
Other managers are being linked with United but there is long-standing admiration for Potter from key Ineos decision makers.
Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford tried to lure Potter to Nice in the past but couldn’t get a deal done.
Reports have suggested that Ratcliffe isn’t at all put off by Potter’s time at Chelsea, seemingly believing that he can get his career back on track at United.
United fans may not be quite so convinced, especially with a previous Champions League winner like Tuchel also on the radar.
United appear to be on the back of Potter’s mind as he heads towards a pivotal summer in his career.
Any Southgate exit would surely only come in July at the earliest, meaning Potter may turn down a number of club jobs and find himself starting the season out of work if Southgate stays put.
Pep Guardiola has praised Potter as ‘exceptional’ for his work at Brighton, but it looks like he will be very careful in choosing his next job after that ill-fated spell at Chelsea.