Man Utd's 'top target' to replace Erik ten Hag facing 'sack threat' after just eight games
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui was linked with the Manchester United job earlier this year but has faced early problems with the Hammers
by Jake Bayliss · The MirrorJulen Lopetegui was reportedly being lined up by Manchester United back in the summer - but just months later he is already under pressure to save his West Ham job.
The former Spain and Real Madrid manager, who was said to be on the shortlist to replace Erik ten Hag at the start of the summer, returned to the Premier League after walking away from Wolves on the eve of last season, having helped the club stave off the threat of relegation. There was plenty of pre-season excitement surrounding the Hammers, who looked to have pulled off transfer coups for Jean-Clair Todibo, Carlos Soler and Niclas Fullkrug.
It has not been instant success on the pitch, though, with Lopetegui winning just two of his first eight games in charge. West Ham salvaged a draw against Brentford at the weekend after falling behind to another first-minute opener from the Bees but are five games without a win across all competitions.
Earlier this year, Lopetegui was one of 10 coaches touted as a possible successor to Erik ten Hag at United. However, just a matter of months into his two-year deal, a report in Spain claimed that the new West Ham boss could face the axe if he doesn’t find a way to transform his side’s fortunes.
Spanish publication Sport reported in their print edition that Lopetegui’s job was already ‘in danger’ following West Ham’s 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last week. The Telegraph also claimed earlier this week that West Ham's matches against Brentford and Ipswich would be 'huge' in deciding the Spaniard's fate as concerns continue to grow.
Fans are not happy with the team's start to the new campaign and have criticised his tactics. Lopetegui has told them to judge him in May but the scrutiny around his job will only increase the longer the team’s winless run continues.
It is something of a far cry from being mentioned as a contender for the United job, given his pedigree as a Europa League winner with Sevilla. In February, Spanish outlet Relevo suggested that Lopetegui was a candidate to replace Ten Hag, if his struggles continued, and was also wanted by AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
Lopetegui was said to have the ‘ideal knowledge’ to put United back on the right track before Ten Hag was able to save his job by winning the FA Cup. While Ten Hag will be seeking the same nous in the wake of his side’s humbling 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Lopetegui was eager to take the positives from West Ham’s point away at Brentford.
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“This is the first match at home that [Brentford] didn’t win, so I think that we have to highlight above all the reaction of the team after a very bad start,” Lopetegui said. “It was a nightmare to start losing in the first minute.
“We knew that [they would start fast] as we showed them images of the two goals that they had scored [in the first minute against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in their previous two matches], but sometimes, despite you doing that, it can happen and it was a bad surprise for us.”
“We were able to change the match against a very good team at home, so we have to highlight this, to keep the good, positive things,” he added. “We are with one win very close with a lot of teams, a lot of big teams, so I think that I have tried to highlight the positive things and to highlight the positive reaction in the second half when we worked as a team, and it is very important for us.”
Ten Hag is in a similar position to his counterpart with United stuck down in a lowly 12th after just six Premier League games. The Dutchman is understood to be safe for the meantime but the fans are beginning to turn on their manager, calling for him to be sacked midway through their drubbing against Tottenham.
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