Man Utd fans could 'protest' over Graham Potter appointment at Old Trafford

In partnership with

GiveMeSport

·25 October 2023

Man Utd fans could 'protest' over Graham Potter appointment at Old Trafford

Highlights

Manchester United supporters would be furious if Graham Potter is handed the opportunity to replace Erik ten Hag in the dugout.
The 48-year-old tactician is admired by Sir Dave Brailsford, who will play a key role at Old Trafford after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority ownership is ratified.
Reigning Serie A champions Napoli are also interested in holding conversations with Potter ahead of potentially heading to Italy.

Manchester United 'might have another protest' to deal with if they appoint Graham Potter as their next boss, as journalist Dean Jones has provided GIVEMESPORT with an eye-catching update on the managerial situation at Old Trafford.

Although Erik ten Hag led the Red Devils to Carabao Cup glory and Champions League qualification during his first season at the helm, this term has not gone to plan, with it going down in history as their worst start to a domestic campaign since 1989 thanks to losing four of their opening seven fixtures.

OneFootball Videos

Manchester United are preparing to enter a new era thanks to Sir Jim Ratcliffe closing in on securing a 25 per cent stake in a £1.4billion deal, and there has been speculation over changes being made in the dugout as well as at boardroom level.

Potter has been identified as a possible candidate to succeed ten Hag when Ratcliffe's minority ownership of Manchester United is ratified, according to The Sun, as the Ineos chief executive's sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford is known to be an admirer.

The report suggests Brailsford is a fan of the 48-year-old - who has been on the lookout for a fresh challenge since being sacked by Chelsea in April - and wanted to lure him into the hot-seat at Ligue 1 side Nice, but the Red Devils may have to act quickly as reigning Serie A champions Napoli are also keen to hold discussions over a potential move to Italy.

handing Potter the managerial reins would sum up the position Manchester United find themselves in, having struggled to deal with the expectations at Stamford Bridge.

The Solihull-born tactician has been biding his time and selective instead of rushing back into management after his Chelsea setback, having declared that he was not interested in taking over at Rangers and snubbed the opportunity to become Lyon's head coach during the early stages of the campaign.

But it is understood that Potter has previously spoken to Ratcliffe on two occasions, having been linked with the Nice job following their elimination from the Europa Conference League last season, and he was keen on heading to the Allianz Riviera before a move to France failed to come to fruition.

However, Manchester United are not focusing all of their attention on the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion boss ahead of ten Hag potentially being axed as the Red Devils have held verbal discussions with the agent of Real Madrid chief Carlo Ancelotti, who has also received offers from the Brazil and Canada national teams.

Dean Jones update - Graham Potter

Having seen Manchester United supporters hold a number of protests in a bid to force the Glazer family out, including ahead of their win over Brentford earlier this month, Jones believes the fanbase would be in uproar once again if ten Hag is replaced with Potter.

The reputable journalist feels the Red Devils would be left in a worse position than if they stick with the Dutch tactician or turn to Ancelotti as they look to challenge for the Premier League title in the years to come.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

"If they get rid of ten Hag and go for Graham Potter, we might have another protest on our hands because I just don't think that would be a way forward. It's not necessarily disrespectful to Graham Potter, it's just that there is no clear thinking here that could convince anybody that this is going to lead to success. "With Carlo Ancelotti, you could say that there's a pathway to success there because of what he has done in the past. With ten Hag, you can say there should be success here eventually because of the philosophy that he is putting into place. "But with Graham Potter, who knows how many years that would take? Who knows how long he could put up with it? It could be a similar situation to the one Chelsea were in."

Ten Hag's assistant unlikely to quit Man United

Mitchell van der Gaag is unlikely to leave Manchester United for Ajax, according to MailOnline, as ten Hag is desperate to keep his long-term aide alongside him in the Old Trafford dugout.

The report suggests Louis van Gaal, who has returned to the Johan Cruyff Arena in a consultancy role having previously won 54 of his 103 matches at the Red Devils' helm, is facing an uphill battle to lure the 52-year-old assistant manager to Amsterdam despite being keen to hand him a leading role after Maurice Steijn's sacking earlier this week.

Van der Gaag headed to Manchester United after ten Hag's appointment last year, having been in attendance for the final clash of the 2021/22 campaign at Crystal Palace before getting to work.

The Dutchman had