Jim Ratcliffe has Gareth Southgate ‘as number one choice’ to replace Ten Hag

Jim Ratcliffe reportedly has Gareth Southgate as his number one target for the Manchester United job.

United investor Ratcliffe is 'increasingly confident' he can prize the England manager away from the national team job after the Euros this summer, according to reports.

 The Daily Star has it that Southgate, who has been England manager since 2016, is a popular choice with United players, such as Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire - all of whom he was worked with before.

It will also work in his favour that he has a close relationship with United’s incoming director of football, Dan Ashworth, who recently left his post at Newcastle United.

Jim Ratcliffe has stated that discussions over Ten Hag’s future will take place at the end of the season as he takes over the footballing side of operations at Old Trafford following his minority stake purchase.

While Ratcliffe has said nothing will happen before the end of the season, it hasn’t stopped speculation or work from behind he scenes taking place.

And according to ESPN, the England boss is on a shortlist alongside Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

De Zerbi is one of the most sought-after managers in the world and is also apparently on the radars of Chelsea, Liverpool and even clubs abroad while Frank has admirers for the work he has done in west London.

Although there’s been no official confirmation it’s widely expected that Gareth Southgate will leave his role as England manager after the Euros this summer.

Southgate has also previously expressed his interest in returning to club management once his days in charge of the Three Lions are over.

As mentioned above, Southgate's relationship with Dan Ashworth could also be a huge advantage to him.

Ashworth and Southgate worked together when the former was at the Football Association and is now being targeted by United to fill their director of football position.

He’s currently on gardening leave from Newcastle United, who are apparently holding out for a £20m compensation package to allow him to move to Old Trafford.