Manchester United ‘hold talks’ with Barcelona legend Xavi about replacing Erik ten Hag

Manchester United have held talks with Barcelona legend Xavi about replacing Erik ten Hag as manager, according to reports.

Ten Hag remains under huge pressure at Old Trafford despite Saturday’s much-needed victory over Brentford.

Manchester United have endured a miserable start to the 2024-25 campaign and sit just 12th in the Premier League with three wins from eight games.

Ten Hag may well have been fearing the worst when Brentford took the lead over his struggling United side at Old Trafford but the Red Devils fought back superbly to clinch a crucial victory.

It remains to be seen whether Manchester United can use that as a springboard for further success, however, and the club have already suffered several false dawns under the Dutchman.

United interviewed other managers about replacing Ten Hag last summer but have shown patience with the 54-year-old this season and resisted the urge to make a change during the recent international break.

But Manchester United appear to be keeping their options open and have held talks with Xavi ‘twice in the last few months’, according to the Daily Mail.

Xavi, widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time, has been out of work since being sacked by Barcelona in May.

At the start of 2024 Xavi said he was going to leave his position at the Nou Camp but was then persuaded to stay by Barcelona bosses.

But it was decided he would move on following a difficult period on and off the pitch, with Barca appointing Germany’s Hansi Flick as his replacement.

Xavi was a mainstay in the great Barcelona team for well over a decade and won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies during his celebrated spell at the club.

The all-time great, now 44, also won the World Cup with Spain as well as back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Manchester United have publicly insisted they are backing Ten Hag to turn things around but may pull the plug if they believe European qualification is at jeopardy.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, described the speculation over his future as ‘fairytales and lies’ in his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Brentford.

‘The noise is only coming from some of you, creating stories and fairytales and bringing lies,’ the ex-Ajax manager said.

‘I know we are on one page at this club. I said this before the break. I told several journalists. Probably the journalists didn’t believe me because I saw the reports. But internally, it is quiet.’

While Manchester United finished just eighth in the Premier League last season and are currently in the bottom-half of the table, they have at least won trophies in each season under Ten Hag.

But Red Devils legend Patrice Evra insists this is ‘not enough’ for a club of United’s stature.

‘I’m not inside, I don’t know what the problem is,’ Evra told BBC Sport. ‘The manager Ten Hag is trying to do his best – it’s not good enough.

‘But it’s not just about this season, it’s since we won the last league in 2013, the club has been like in a chaos.

‘I’m a positive man, but it’s tough. Our rivals are getting better than us, play a better style of football. The future is not bright. It’s a tough moment.

‘Liverpool waited 30 years to win the Premier League again, now it’s been 11 years [since United’s last title]. I don’t want to wait that long.

‘No matter what, I will be a United fan forever, but it’s quite tough to watch United play.’

Asked if he still supported Ten Hag, Evra added: ‘I’m a straightforward guy. Even if you put the chef as a manager, I will support any manager.

‘Three years [Ten Hag has] been at the club and, yes, he’s won two trophies. When you’re the manager of United, what people expect from you is to win the league every year.

‘We need to stop talking about the past. This is not the United it used to be. We have to rebuild it.’

Ten Hag faces another crucial week as Manchester United prepare to face Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on Thursday night before returning to Premier League action against struggling West Ham.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.