When Erik ten Hag first joined Manchester United in 2023, the expectation was that he would adopt a similar philosophy to the one that brought him so much success at Ajax.

Not only were the Dutch side winning games, but they were also doing it in style and convincing fashion, which suits the United DNA.

Last season, we saw glimpses of what a Ten Hag United side could look like, but some key profiles were missing, such as a proactive ball-playing goalkeeper.

However, fast forward to today, and the boss is under intense scrutiny, with his team sitting in seventh and his future at the club looking uncertain.

Man Utd’s search for a new manager

According to a report from Spain via Football365, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has shortlisted five potential replacements for Ten Hag.

On the list, there’s a mixture of both managers with experience and a couple with new ideas, with Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte fitting into the category of the former.

Thiago Motta of Bologna is also a manager that Man Utd are looking at; he’s revolutionised football in Italy this season.

Another coach that’s “caught the attention” of the club is Roberto De Zerbi, who’s currently managing Brighton & Hove Albion, and he could just prove to be the best option.

De Zerbi could be the best replacement for Ten Hag

Replacing such a successful manager like Graham Potter at Brighton was supposed to be an extremely difficult task, but De Zerbi has done a fantastic job.

The 44-year-old really made a name for himself at Sassuolo in the Serie A, when the Italian side finished eighth in consecutive seasons.

In 2021, the Italian boss accepted an adventure in Ukraine, as he became the boss of Shakhtar Donetsk, before moving to the Seagulls and signing a four-year contract.

Since moving to the Premier League side in 2022, De Zerbi has become a Brighton hero, leading the club to European competition for the first time in the club’s history after finishing sixth last season.

The Brighton manager’s style of play is one of the most unique and entertaining in the league, with his controlled, possession-based approach often allowing his team to dominate possession.

This is the case regardless of the opponent, as shown by Brighton’s average possession of 62% this season, which is much higher than United’s 50.1% under Ten Hag this campaign.

His usual formation is a 4-2-3-1 with ball-playing stars all over the field, which suits the United squad down to a tee as that’s the current setup that Ten Hag opts for.

Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, and Marcus Rashford would all surely thrive in this system, taking on the roles of Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross, and Kaoru Mitoma.

But most importantly, De Zerbi, who beat Ten Hag twice in 2023, would introduce a crystal clear philosophy and gameplan, which have been unidentifiable at the Red Devils this season.

Overall, if United are to hire the “genuis" manager as dubbed by football analyst Statman Dave, then it will cost them around £12m to break his release clause in his contract, but it may just prove to be worth the fee.