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The West Ham defeat on Sunday was the final straw that broke the camel’s back as INEOS pulled the plug on the Erik ten Hag era with Manchester United languishing in 14th position in the Premier League.
It was clear that the new co-owners were only delaying the inevitable by keeping him on as results simply did not warrant an extension for the Dutchman.
Ten Hag’s sacking on Monday saw Ruud van Nistelrooy take up the hotseat on an interim basis while the club management rush to try and find a permanent successor to the former Ajax coach.
One of the names constantly getting linked with the Old Trafford role is former Barcelona boss Xavi who is currently on a sabbatical since his Barca departure.
Xavi an option for INEOS
As relayed by The Peoples Person, the Spanish legend has put forward certain players that he wants United to sign for him and only then will he accept the job proposal.
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri has claimed that United CEO Omar Berrada, who worked for the Catalan giants in the past, is in talks with the former midfielder about taking over.
The 44-year-old has made another surprising request and asked to be helped in this endeavor by former United stalwarts but no name has emerged as of yet.
“The new Manchester management, led by Omar Berrada – former director of the football department of Manchester City, also past at FC Barcelona – has made Xavi Hernandez a concrete lead to succeed the Dutch technician.
“Discussions are currently taking place between the two men to see the possibility of an arrival in the coming weeks. Well aware that he will not solve the problem alone, the Catalan has expressly asked to be assisted by well-known former Old Trafford players, without any tangible name having been confirmed to us to date.”
As revealed by Spanish media, the former Spanish international has figured out that the Red Devils need to strengthen at the back and in midfield.
And he has put forward the names of Andreas Christensen and Fermin Lopez to fix United’s woes. Whether the club can manage to secure the duo in January remains to be seen.
Xavi wants Barca stars
“Xavi Hernández has great admiration for United’s sporting project and, according to close sources, would be enthusiastic about the idea of taking on the challenge of leading a club with so much history and fans.
“In addition, it is said that the coach from Terrassa would have already held preliminary talks with the United board, and during these talks he would have put on the table two names of Barcelona players that he considers essential for his project: Fermín López and Andreas Christensen.”
Interestingly, pictures have emerged on social media where Xavi’s son can be seen sporting a United top. Maybe that hints at a job in Manchester?
Plenty of sources have added that Xavi is yet to be sounded out about the United job with intermediaries in touch currently. It will be interesting to see who eventually comes in to replace Ten Hag.
