Aston Villa hero 'number one choice' to replace Erik ten Hag at Man United

Former Aston Villa captain Gareth Southgate is being tipped to become the next manager of Manchester United.

It is reported by the Daily Mirror that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made the England boss the his ‘number one’ choice to replace Erik ten Hag. Several players are said to be ‘already on board’ with the idea of becoming their boss. 

Southgate’s contract with the FA runs until December 2024 which would see him manage until EURO 2024. He would have six months remaining on his contract following the summer tournament but is open to the possibility of staying as Three Lions boss.

"There's a fair chance half the coaches won't be here after the Euros. That's international football," Southgate said to Sky Sports in February.

"You've got to see how the summer goes. It's as simple as that.

"In my view, I know what we're capable of achieving in the summer. I know what my own benchmark of success would be. After that, I'm not really thinking about anything else.

"It's always been exciting to take the team, whatever the strengths of the squad. In the end, we've got to deliver a performance and you've got to make the best decisions for everybody.

"I won't be in a position to make that decision before the tournament."

England have Nations League fixtures against the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Finland in the autumn and his future could be decided in how they perform in the Euros. They exited the 2022 World Cup at the quarter-final stage and were relegated from the Nations League, finishing bottom in a group that consisted of Italy, Hungary and Germany.

Talk of him becoming the next manager of Man United is interesting however. The 53-year-old has not managed at club level since 2009. He was at former club Middlesbrough for three years but unfortunately oversaw their relegation and was dismissed despite having Boro in the automatic promotion places.