Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to have approached Graham Potter about succeeding Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager, following an alarming new report that stated the Dutchman was now on borrowed time at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils are having a dismal season, having experienced a significant drop-off from the 2022/23 season, Ten Hag’s first as manager, when Manchester United won the Carabao Cup, reached the FA Cup final, and placed third in the Premier League.

Any hopes of reducing the gap on Manchester City have been quickly dashed, with the team undergoing a horrific run of form that has seen them endure their worst start to a season since 1930.

Indeed, the 14 defeats they have experienced in their 28 games to date have increased the pressure on Ten Hag, who is now one of the favourites to become the next Premier League manager to be fired.

While there appears to be some sympathy for Ten Hag, who has had to deal with a number of major issues behind the scenes, most notably a fall-out with £73 million star Jadon Sancho, as well as a long-running takeover saga that has yet to be officially resolved, it appears that time may not be on the Dutchman’s side.

And, after failing to get a tune out of United’s expensively assembled squad, suspicions have gained traction in recent weeks, particularly in light of their dismal Champions League campaign, that Ten Hag’s job may be on the line shortly.

To that end, it was recently reported that Ten Hag was ‘dying’ at Old Trafford, with some commentators arguing why the British media has exacerbated his plight.

Ratcliffe is’ready to sack Ten Hag’ as the next manager of Manchester United is named

According to ESPN, incoming new investor Ratcliffe is seriously considering firing Ten Hag as his first significant act in leadership.

They claim the British millionaire is tired of seeing the team drift from problem to crisis this season and believes it is too late for Ten Hag to stem the tide.

And Ratcliffe may have decided enough is enough after watching the Red Devils put up an all-too-familiar lackluster performance in their final game of 2023, losing 2-1 to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

According to the report, Ratcliffe, who also owns French club Nice, has already identified former Chelsea manager Potter as his top choice to replace the Dutchman.

They allege Ratcliffe and Potter met in the summer to discuss a possible job for the Englishman at Nice, just a few months after the axe fell on the 48-year-old at Chelsea.

Potter declined at the moment, stating that he was willing to wait for another chance to manage in the Premier League.

However, the former Brighton manager is reported to have impressed Ratcliffe, and the British billionaire has now contacted him again, this time about the possibility of taking on probably the biggest job of all, at Manchester United.

Ratcliffe is ready to replace Ten Hag as Manchester United manager

Ratcliffe is thought to have tried to gauge Potter’s desire to take on such a position, as well as how he would bring out the best in United’s underperforming players, during those discussions.

Ratcliffe has, of course, already spoken with Ten Hag about United’s future intentions, and it was made plain that an immediate improvement was required.

Following those discussions, it was agreed that Ten Hag would be granted until at least the end of the season before a decision on his likely dismissal as manager was made.

However, ESPN now believes that Ratcliffe is willing to make that decision, with an immediate change of manager being seriously considered.

Sir Dave Brailsford, who has taken on a sporting director post with INEOS, has also apparently approved of a change in management. The two men have been to United’s last two games, and the defeat against Forest might be the deciding factor.

Following the game, Ten Hag appeared to apologize to Ratcliffe for their inadequate performance, implying that the number of ailments his team was now suffering from had an impact on the results.

“[INEOS] know me and they know when I have a squad what is available then the results will be there,” Ten Hag said in a statement.

“We’ve already shown that we can compete with the best teams.” So I am convinced and have a strong belief that we will make progress in this team and achieve greater consistency in the near future.

“This is part of a larger project.” We outperformed last year, but we are underperforming this year. We must do better, we must move up, and I must lead this process.”

Ten Hag would leave Old Trafford with 53 wins from his 90 games in command, giving him a very high win percentage of 58.89%.

Potter, on the other hand, had a victory percentage of 31.11% at Brighton and 38.71% at Chelsea.