Manchester United players were 'not surprised' to see reports that Erik ten Hag will be sacked after today's FA Cup final clash with Manchester City, it has been claimed.
The Dutchman has come out swinging prior to the match at Wembley, while also insisting he's expecting to be at Old Trafford next season.
On Friday, however, there were numerous reports saying United have already decided to part ways with Ten Hag - regardless of this afternoon's result.
Kieran McKenna, who was once assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is one name in the frame to take over.
Erik ten Hag is fighting to keep his job ahead of Man Utd's blockbuster FA Cup final clash with Man City
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Interest in Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Thomas Frank has been talked up as well.
And the Daily Mail say United squad members weren't surprised to see reports suggesting Ten Hag will go.
The 54-year-old did well enough last term, with the Red Devils finishing third in the Premier League table.
They also beat Newcastle 2-0 to win the Carabao Cup, their first piece of silverware since the days of Jose Mourinho.
But despite spending big on the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund back in the summer, the fallen giants have regressed.
United exited both the Champions League and Carabao Cup early on this term.
And their season was unable to recover, with the Red Devils falling to eighth in the Premier League table.
United are refusing to comment on suggestions Ten Hag will lose his job after two years of occupying the power position.
Yet it's feasible Ten Hag is set to follow in the footsteps of Louis van Gaal after failing to live up to expectations.
Van Gaal, back in 2016, won the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace - with Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard both on target.
It quickly became apparent he'd be sacked, however, with news leaking in the hours that followed.
McKenna has knowledge of United due to his time as Solskjaer's No 2, with the 38-year-old since guiding Ipswich to back-to-back promotions.
He would be a gamble due to his young age, however, while the leap up could be too big.
Pochettino steered Chelsea to sixth in the Premier League this season, transforming the Blues after a shaky start. He has since left the Blues by mutual consent.
Having been overlooked by United in the past, though, a move to Old Trafford isn't guaranteed to happen and that ship could have sailed.
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Man Utd squad members 'weren't surprised' to see Erik ten Hag could be sacked after today's FA Cup final with Man City
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Tuchel is a serial winner, having won trophies at Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund throughout his career.
He is a combative character, however, something that could deter United from bringing him in.
And while Frank has worked wonders at Brentford the Dane, like McKenna, may be considered too high a risk.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, has hit out at the high expectations of his United side - insisting they're not currently good enough to compete for the biggest and best prizes.
"Manchester United won the league for the last time in 2013, 11 years ago," said the 54-year-old.
Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino are two of the names in the frame to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
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"But still they expect us to win every game while competing at the top.
"This club is not ready for that.
"We were supposed to start building something and we made the first steps last year, but then you find out how big this club is and that nobody is ever satisfied.
"Within the club people were satisfied, but outside the club there was noise by saying I won only the Carabao Cup, lost the FA Cup Final and became 3rd."
