‘All I Can Say’: Fabrizio Romano Clarifies Ex-Real Madrid Manager’s Links To Replace Erik ten Hag

Manchester United have found themselves in a bit of disarray in the first few months of the 2023/24 season, having recently been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League group stages. Amid this, questions keep revolving around the future of Erik ten Hag and former Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui has recently been linked to a possible candidate to replace him.

Manchester United’s Links To Julen Lopetegui Clarified

Are United Really Interested In Lopetegui?

Fabrizio Romano has spoken out to clarify the Red Devils’ links to the Spanish manager as a potential successor and insists that he does not want to talk down or outright deny all the information that is coming out. However, the journalist insists that “all I can say” is that he is not aware of any contact between United with Lopetegui right now.

Romano reiterates that the Red Devils are still backing Ten Hag to get them out of this difficult position and improve their form going forward, despite an awareness that things need to improve going forward. When it comes to the future of Lopetegui, the journalist wrote on his CaughtOffside blog: “I can also say that, for sure Lopetegui wants to work in the Premier League again after his experience at Wolves, and that’s why he said no to a proposal from Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad recently. Apart from that, there’s no update as of now.”

Ten Hag Under Pressure To Turn Things Around At Old Trafford

The Dutch manager had a pretty solid first season as United’s manager, helping them win the Carabao Cup title after defeating Newcastle United in the final last season and securing a top-3 finish in the Premier League too. However, things have been really difficult for him in his second campaign in this tough job.

With the Red Devils having finished at the bottom of their Champions League group and having lost seven of their first 16 Premier League games, pressure is building on Ten Hag to improve results. The Dutchman has to get United to win matches more consistently and get them fighting strongly for the FA Cup this season as well as a Premier League top-4 finish to add more security to his job for the long-term.