Manchester United identify former Barcelona manager as potential Erik ten Hag replacement

Although things are now looking good in hindsight, there is no doubt that what happened with an FC Barcelona legend as big as Xavi Hernandez during the last season was regretful, to say the least.

After a roller coaster of a season, in which he announced his decision to step down in January before being convinced to take this decision back and then getting relieved of his responsibilities anyway by the board at the end of the season, Xavi Hernandez has not taken any coaching position.

However, the former Barcelona manager has been linked with several clubs in the last few months, and according to Diario AS, he is now one of the favorites to take the hot seat at one of the biggest Premier League clubs.

This club is none other than Manchester United, where the position of Erik ten Hag is far from certain. Last season, under the Dutch manager, the Red Devils finished 8th in the Premier League, marking the worst position the club has ever achieved in the league’s history.

This season has also not been very different, as the Manchester side sits 12^th in the league, having won only 3 of its 8 matches up to now.

In such a context, Xavi could be a replacement for the former Ajax coach, even though the club has publicly backed Erik ten Hag.

The report claims that a four-man delegation from Manchester United flew to Barcelona last Thursday, and intermediaries from the Red Devils have contacted the former Barcelona coach on two occasions in the last few months.

Thomas Tuchel was another name that the Premier League club had considered previously, but the German has already signed on to be the manager of the England national team. Thus, Xavi remains one of the candidates to replace Ten Hag on the Manchester United bench.

It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils’ reported interest in hiring Xavi as their head coach is concrete and if the 44-year-old Spaniard is actually open to such a move. Currently, Xavi is enjoying his sabbatical year and has not publicly indicated any intent to return to a managerial role at this time.