Dwight Yorke names the 'best fit' to replace Erik ten Hag as Man Utd manager this summer
Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke believes Zinedine Zidane is the right person to replace Erik ten Hag as the club’s boss with the Red Devils struggling in the Premier League this season
Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke reckons Zinedine Zidane is the best fit to become their next manager.
After a successful first season in the Old Trafford hotseat, Erik ten Hag and his side are struggling to replicate a similar run of form. The Red Devils currently sit sixth in the Premier League table and have a meagre goal difference of zero.
Former United star Yorke suspects there will be “question marks” around Ten Hag in the summer. “This season has been really disappointing,” he said in an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes Fanzone.
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“The fact we got knocked out of the Champions League so early was a huge disappointment in my eyes, especially when it looked like a relatively straightforward group to get out of. If you were to weigh things up this season, you’ve got to say that if we don’t win the FA Cup, then this has been a hugely disappointing season.”
Yorke, who scored over 60 goals for United, is convinced that if the club were to sack the Dutchman, their next manager has to be a “strong character” with a “clear identity” of the way in which they want to play. The Trinidadian, who most recently managed Australian A-League outfit Macarthur, backs former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane to deal with United’s “big egos.”
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“I would think he [Zidane] fits the bill most," Yorke added. "None of these players know him. When he comes in with his kind of profile, he commands that instant respect because everyone is basically on trial. For me, he’s probably the best fit.
"You'd need to look at successful and proven managers, first of all. People with strong characters, people who have a clear identity of the way in which they play. You need a big personality, because we know there are some big egos in that dressing room. That's always the case at big clubs, so you have to have somebody who can manage that, while also implementing a certain playing philosophy.
"Players breaking rules and protocols... these things are non negotiable for a manager, and you have to instil that from the very beginning, and so you have to ask who would be able to come in and do all of the above." Ex-Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter is a name often linked with the job and would perhaps be more likely to take over from Ten Hag than Zidane but Yorke hopes United’s new ownership regime involving INEOS stay away from that possibility.
“Who else is out there?” Yorke asked. “They talk about Graham Potter. I think the boys would eat Potter alive, just based on what he did at Chelsea.”