Man Utd line up Ten Hag replacement who could be their own Klopp

The international break has come at a great time for Manchester United. Respite, urgent respite. How Erik ten Hag’s side have needed it over the last week or so.

United actually bounced into the break off the back of a promising 0-0 draw at Aston Villa. Still, chaos remains. Big-money players are being dropped, players are injured and Ten Hag’s job has never been less secure.

The Old Trafford hierarchy backed the Dutchman over the summer, perhaps strangely, and they are now paying the price for such a decision.

The Red Devils have embarked on their worst start to a Premier League season after seven matches and have just scored five goals, a tally only worse than relegation-threatened Southampton.

So, where do United turn to? Getting rid of Ten Hag could cost a bomb but there are plenty of managers out there.

Man United’s manager shortlist

Thomas Tuchel has long looked like one of the main candidates for the job but reports emerged over the weekend suggesting he was now in advanced talks with the FA over taking the England job following Lee Carsley’s interim spell at the helm.

Gareth Southgate has also seemingly ruled himself out of any new gig with the former Three Lions boss claiming he doesn’t intend to manage again over the next year.

One option is Sporting manager Ruben Amorim. Compared to Jose Mourinho, it would be an attractive appointment but having turned down West Ham over the summer, you sense he has unfinished business in the Portuguese capital.

Another option is Edin Terzic. That’s according to The Sun who reported on Saturday evening that the former Borussia Dortmund head coach is being ‘considered’ by the decision-makers at Man United.

Terzic is currently without a Club having surprisingly quit after Dortmund’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid and thus, no compensation fee would be required. So, would he be a good appointment? Compared to Jurgen Klopp, it’s certainly a good start.

How Terzic compares to Ten Hag and Klopp

By the time Klopp left Anfield behind at the end of last season, United supporters would have been sick of the sight of the German.

He was the pillar of Liverpool’s success over the last decade in which they won the Premier League, the Champions League, an FA Cup and League Cup. Ten Hag may well have won two domestic trophies since moving to Old Trafford but Klopp’s dynasty is immense in comparison.

So, how does Terzic compare? Well, it goes just beyond the fact they’ve had success with Dortmund, something David James previously alluded to when discussing Liverpool’s manager targets last season.

“I’ve already said that Edin Terzic, who I know personally, should be in the mix because of his Borussia Dortmund links, which is obviously similar to Jurgen Klopp,”

The main parallel between the two can be outlined with the help of commentator Derek Rae. Writing for ESPN he spoke of Terzic possessing ‘a Klopp-like intensity in the dugout’. Promising signs indeed if you like that sort of thing.

Just based on that, you can gather a sense that the 41-year-old would bring a greater aura and personality to the side of the pitch than Ten Hag, a manager who doesn’t show his emotions too regularly.

Stylistically, further similarities can be drawn between the great Klopp and Terzic. The German tactician also prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation – something Klopp used to great effect at Liverpool – and likes high-pressing.

As the Bundesliga official website once outlined ‘Terzic Football means ambush’. That requires the team to press from the front and at high intensity, forcing the defenders to make a mistake, just as a Klopp side would do.

United have tried pressing under Ten Hag but, truth be told, it’s been a collective mess. Unlike when you watch a side like Arsenal or Manchester City, it’s hard to know who’s leading the press and it’s unpredictable.

At times the wingers might push up with the striker but things are rarely done in unison. This has led to countless mistakes and also the midfield being played through on an all too regular basis. There is a hope, therefore, that Terzic could solve that problem.

What should also appeal to the hierarchy at United is the young coach’s experience at a big Club. Ten Hag had this having managed Ajax but he has not dealt with the expectations or pressure well since moving to England.

Terzic looks like a man capable of embracing this. One particular passage from his chat with the Coaches’ Voice helps paint that picture.

‘You need many skills to lead a big Football Club. First, you need a deep knowledge of the game; how to win games and be successful. Second, you need a good strategy on how to reach your targets. Third, you need fluid intelligence, so that you are able to solve problems under pressure. For that, you need good emotional control. That doesn’t mean that you control only your own emotions – you need the skills to influence the emotional state of people around you.’

Wow, doesn’t that sound a fair bit different from Ten Hag? He’s found it a massive challenge to control the emotional state of this Football Club. He’s had problems with Marcus Rashford’s discipline and simply, all of the noise surrounding the manager’s future suggests he has no control over proceedings at Old Trafford.

Terzic certainly isn’t of the calibre of a Zinedine Zidane or Tuchel but he’s an ever-improving manager and his Klopp-like style could be just the tonic United need.