Manchester United are reportedly confident of hiring Gareth Southgate as their next manager, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen on the England boss.
Erik ten Hag currently occupies the dugout at Old Trafford but, despite Sunday's stirring 3-2 victory over Liverpool, his long-term future is up in the air.
United remain adrift of Aston Villa and Tottenham as they look to qualify for next season's Champions League.
And failing to finish in the top five will likely see the 54-year-old axed at the end of the campaign, regardless of how they fare in the FA Cup.
Manchester United are confident of appointing Gareth Southgate as their new manager this summer
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According to the Daily Star, Ratcliffe has set his sights on Southgate as he ponders change at Old Trafford.
The British billionaire has taken control of sporting operations and would reportedly like an answer from the England boss sooner, rather than later.
This is so he can plan for the future, with United eager to show they can compete with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the coming years ahead.
Southgate's current deal with England expires after the European Championships this summer.
And though the FA would like the 53-year-old to stay in the dugout, he's yet to commit his long-term future to the role.
The report says Ratcliffe and INEOS chief Sir Dave Brailsford have reached out to some of United's former greats.
And they have picked Southgate due to the fine work he's done during his spell as England manager.
After taking over from Sam Allardyce in 2016, Southgate steered England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia two years later.
They were a penalty shootout victory away from winning the European Championships in 2021.
And England were unfortunate to lose to France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup at the tail end of 2022.
United are set to bring in Dan Ashworth, who previously worked with Southgate at the FA.
And Ashworth is another who feels Southgate is the right man to replace Ten Hag come the end of the season.
The England boss was of interest to United during Sir Alex Ferguson's time in the dugout.
Ferguson wanted to sign Southgate two decades ago to go alongside Rio Ferdinand in the heart of his defence.
A move failed to materialise, however, with the 53-year-old seeing out his career with Middlesbrough before retiring in 2006.
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Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford
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Meanwhile, Ratcliffe has been speaking about his plans for United to the Geraint Thomas Cycling club.
And the 71-year-old has admitted he's keen on knocking down Old Trafford and building a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium instead.
“We can refurbish the ground and do a really nice job of that, that would cost about £1billion and the club can shoulder that burden, but you have got the opportunity if you choose to, to build a completely new ground," he said.
"And it'd be state of the art, 90,000-100,000. That provides a platform for some of the big competition being in the North.”
He continued: “There's going to be a task force, completely separate from Manchester United.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could lose his job at the end of the season
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"They'll have a look to see if the argument stacks up, and if it does, they'll have to go and speak to the Government.”
United are next in action against Brentford on March 30.
They lost 4-0 in the same fixture last season in Ten Hag's second match in charge.
