Man United already employ obvious but unlikely Erik ten Hag successor - it's not Ruud van Nistelrooy

Amidst Thomas Tuchel being announced as England manager, the odds on Ruud van Nistelrooy becoming Erik ten Hag’s successor were slashed.

He was not the only potential candidate to see the numbers fall, but almost all bookmakers currently make him the most likely to be named as the next Manchester United manager, should the current boss be axed.

United had been lining up Tuchel to replace Ten Hag upon a possible dismissal, but the Football Association caught wind and sped up their hiring process to tie the German down to an 18-month contract as England head coach. United, too slow again.

READ MORE: Manchester United get huge triple injury boost ahead of Brentford fixture

READ MORE: I saw Ruud van Nistelrooy do three things at PSV that make him perfect for the Man United job

Van Nistelrooy has outlined how it was Ten Hag who personally called him to offer a coaching role at Old Trafford. “I never even saw this as a possibility,” he admitted to broadcasters last month.

“I was in talks with clubs to manage and I love it [managing]. I had my staff all ready and then I had a phone call. Erik called me and talked it through. I started to love the idea.”

Van Nistelrooy had landed in a fantastic position. There is no inkling that the former PSV Eindhoven boss has outright intentions to usurp Ten Hag, but it is not hard to see how the dominoes may fall if his colleague is shown the door.

He would be the fourth Sir Alex Ferguson understudy to move into the role since the Scot himself retired in 2013, with Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick all previously taking over for stints of various lengths.

Like Solskjaer, Van Nistelrooy would bring the fans back on side instantly. He’d also have more esteemed