Manchester United reportedly approached Stuttgart’s boss Sebastian Hoeness to replace Erik ten Hag – only to be rejected by the coach.
Ten Hag was under intense scrutiny after a lacklustre 2023-24 season that saw United finish in a dismal eighth place in the Premier League, only to regain some pride with an upset FA Cup victory over champions Manchester City. In the aftermath of the campaign new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe held discussions with former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel about taking over the role.
After failing to find a suitable replacement, United’s top brass decided to retain Ten Hag and even extended his contract until 2026, before supporting him with a whopping £180million in the transfer market. However, the haphazard process leading to this decision continues to face criticism.
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Since then, Ten Hag has guided the club to their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, securing a mere eight points from seven matches – including devastating 3-0 home losses to arch-rivals Liverpool and also Tottenham – piling immense pressure on the Dutchman.
Now, according to German publication Bild, it’s been revealed Hoeness – who is yet to win any honours as a coach – was another managerial candidate United were eyeing this summer, alongside Tuchel, with suggestions the Red Devils even enquired if he would accept the job, reports the Mirror.
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However, the report states Hoeness “declined” the offer, choosing to remain with Stuttgart following their impressive Bundesliga campaign last year, which saw them finish second behind champions Bayer Leverkusen, earning them a spot in the Champions League.
Before Hoeness took the reins at Stuttgart last year, they were frequently battling relegation. However, he managed to save them from the drop at the end of the 2022-23 season, when his team triumphed over Hamburg in the relegation play-off.
Hoeness, who spent the majority of his playing career as an attacking midfielder for Hertha Berlin, began his managerial journey with Bayern Munich II. He then had a two-year tenure with Hoffenheim, where he secured a respectable ninth-place finish in the 2021-22 season.
For now, Ten Hag is set to continue his role as United boss, having seemingly survived a seven-hour crisis meeting chaired by Ratcliffe during the international break. The ex-Ajax manager has previously asserted that he has the support of United’s leadership team and is gearing up for a crucial home game against Brentford on October 19.
His last two matches resulted in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa and a 3-3 draw at Porto, with United squandering a 2-0 lead in that Europa League encounter.