What Sir Alex Ferguson 'told' Man Utd about replacing Erik ten Hag before both men were axed

Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have told Manchester United who they should replace Erik ten Hag with earlier this year, before both men were relieved of their duties.

Ten Hag was finally given the boot after a defeat to West Ham compounded their worst ever start to a Premier League season and left them 14th in the table. New part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had previously shown patience but finally decided he had seen enough, showing the gaffer the door after two and a half years in charge.

He's the latest in a long line of managers who have tried and failed to restore the clubs to the heights they reached under Sir Alex since his departure from the role more than a decade ago. Now the hunt commences for his successor, with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking it on in the interim.

Ferguson had served as a global ambassador for the club since his 2013 retirement, but was let go as part of a cost-cutting exercise. However Gazzetta dello Sport reported earlier this month, before that news broke, that he had recommended Juventus boss Max Allegri to replace Ten Hag if the axe fell.

As things stand, Van Nistelrooy is the early favourite to land the job on a permanent basis while former Barcelona boss Xavi ranks high in the betting. Julian Nagelsmann, Ruben Amorim and, yep, Gareth Southgate are some of the other runners and riders. Allegri, under pressure at Juve after a difficult start to the season, is an outsider at 18/1.