Manchester United are 'very close' to hiring Erik ten Hag as their new manager. According to fresh reports, the Ajax boss is now considered the frontrunner to take up the job, with Mauricio Pochettino falling behind. Sky Sport's Angelo Mangiante has said Ten Hag is 'very close' to being announced as the new boss of United -but it's thought that the Dutchman is wanting to hear an answer back as soon as possible The 52-year-old has emerged as the favourite to take over Ralf Rangnick, United's current interim boss, and be in the dugout ahead of next season.

United have ambitions of being title contenders once again but in their current state, they are struggling to even obtain aChampions League spot. Despite signing the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, United have failed to make any progress on the season prior and even sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November. Rangnick has come in on an interim basis and will take up a consultancy role in the summer, it's thought.

But ultimately he has not been able to transform the club's side. United conducted interviews during the recent international break for the upcoming vacancy to take over the dugout at Old Trafford in the summer. Paris Saint-Germain's Pochettino was spoken to as well as Ten Hag, as was Luis Enrique but his commitment to the Spain national side for their World Cup campaign saw him pull out.

Ten Hag is a popular choice among the United fanbase. With Ajax, he won the Eredivisie in 2018-19 and 2020-21. He also led the Amsterdam side to the semifinals of the 2018-19 Champions League, the first time they have done so since 1997.