Manchester United include England boss Gareth Southgate on three-man shortlist to replace Ten Hag: Reports

Manchester United are reportedly assessing England's Gareth Southgate, Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi, and Brentford's Thomas Frank as potential options to succeed Erik ten Hag.

ESPN's Mark Ogden reports that all three coaches feature on the Red Devils' list of candidates to potentially replace Ten Hag. The Dutchman's future at Old Trafford is uncertain amid a disappointing season.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team will oversee Manchester United's sporting operations and could wield the axe on Ten Hag this summer. His side sit sixth in the league, 11 points off the top four with as many games remaining.

Thus, it looks as though United are studying replacements and England's Southgate is under assessment. The Three Lions boss' contract runs until December 2024 and he will oversee the national team's European Championship campaign this summer.

Southgate has earned praise for his development of young talent within the England camp. He's guided them to the 2018 FIFA World Cup semifinals and Euro 2020 final.

However, Southgate was wholly unsuccessful at club level during his time in charge of Middlesbrough. Boro were relegated from the Premier League in 2009 and he was dismissed shortly into their EFL Championship campaign.

Meanwhile, Brighton's De Zerbi is unsurprisingly an option given his stock continues to rise at the Amex. The Italian coach guided the Seagulls to UEFA Europa League qualification last season.

De Zerbi has been praised for integrating an exciting brand of football. He boasts two league wins against Manchester United, including a 3-1 win at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Frank is a surprise name amid Brentford's struggles this season but the Dane has impressed at the Gtech Community Stadium. He oversaw the Bees' promotion to the English top-flight in 2021 for the first time since 1946-1947.

The Danish tactician has since ensured the west London outfit remain a Premier League outfit. His side stunned Ten Hag with a 4-0 home victory in just the Dutchman's second game in charge last season.

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Danny Murphy argued that Manchester United should have appointed Southgate instead of Erik ten Hag

Danny Murphy suggested Gareth Southgate would have been ideal for Manchester United.

Ten Hag arrived at Manchester United in July 2022 off the back of an impressive job at Ajax. He led the Dutch outfit to three Eredisivie titles and the UEFA Champions League semifinals in 2019.

The Old Trafford outfit were delighted with his appointment and he delivered their first trophy in six years last season. His Red Devils won the Carabao Cup and finished third in the league.

However, Danny Murphy made the case for Southgate by alluding to his work with England. He told talkSPORT shortly after Ten Hag's arrival:

"They need someone to bring together this squad and try and create a unity, atmosphere and energy that England have. I think that would be fair."

Murphy acknowledged Ten Hag's work at Ajax and FC Utrecht but raised concerns about his lack of experience working with big-profile players:

"He's not managed big players at a big club, so we don't know how he's going to deal with that pressure."

Southgate has overseen 59 wins in 91 games in charge of England. He's worked with the likes of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and United's own Marcus Rashford.