Man Utd eye shock Liverpool manager target who is attracted to the ‘modus vivendi’ of English football
Man Utd are looking into the possibility of bringing Bologna boss Thiago Motta to the Premier League in the summer, according to reports.
The Red Devils had a positive first season under Erik ten Hag with the Dutchman guiding his side to an FA Cup final, Carabao Cup silverware and a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag under increasing pressure to get results
However, things have not gone to plan this campaign with Man Utd crashing out of Europe by finishing bottom of their Champions League group and struggling for consistency in the Premier League.
Man Utd managed to throw away a 3-2 lead at Chelsea on Thursday night with two second half injury-time goals from Cole Palmer seeing the Blues to a 4-3 victory.
That defeat, coupled with a poor performance in a 1-1 draw at Brentford, means the Red Devils’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are now extremely slim.
That has put Ten Hag under pressure with new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe making changes since completing a deal to buy 27.7 per cent of the club.
READ MORE: How can Ratcliffe and Manchester United trust a process Erik ten Hag has not proven actually exists?
Bologna boss Motta is the latest name linked with a potential move to Man Utd to replace Ten Hag with speculation that the Brazil-born former Italy international is a shock candidate to join Liverpool.
The Athletic recently picked out some outside candidates for the Liverpool job, including Motta:
‘Simone Inzaghi at Inter is regarded as an outsider. The Serie A club do not want to lose him and not being able to speak English would be an issue for him if he moved to the Premier League. Thiago Motta, who has over-achieved at Bologna, has been discussed, although he has been linked with a possible move to Juventus.
‘Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, who is out of contract in the summer, is well-regarded and Tuchel is still available. The German has pedigree, having won the Champions League at Chelsea and Bundesliga and Ligue 1 titles, although appointing another big name and strong-minded character to follow Klopp would provide its own challenges.
‘Thomas Frank also has his admirers courtesy of his work at Brentford, whose style of play under the Dane has similarities to Klopp’s Liverpool under Klopp, although moving to Anfield would represent a major step up.’
And now Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Motta ‘has repeatedly applauded the “modus vivendi” of British football’ with Man Utd keen on his services.
The report adds that a move to Man Utd or another Premier League side ‘cannot be ruled out’ as Motta is ‘studying English to add to the other four languages he knows’.
Man Utd and Chelsea ‘definitely not discussing a replacement’ yet
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is also under pressure despite the win over Man Utd in midweek and Romano has an update on his and Ten Hag’s job situations.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “The situation that both Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag find themselves in is quite similar, obviously with some differences.
“Both Chelsea and Manchester United are definitely not discussing a replacement for the Argentinian or the Dutchman now, but they will assess the situation at the end of the season.
“It’s not something imminent or already decided, but it’s clear that the owners want to see good results from now to the end of the season.”
