Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could be saved from the sack if he can leverage the talents of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho. The Red Devils players have both been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best young talent in the world.
United chiefs decided to stick with Ten Hag and hand him a new deal in the summer following an end-of-season review that came after an underwhelming campaign.
But the Dutchman is already under pressure at Old Trafford this term after his side lost two of their opening three Premier League matches ahead of the international break.
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Ten Hag was let down by a whole host of his stars during United’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday. And he needs players who can step up and turn the team’s fortunes around.
Mainoo is one of the most respected young players in Europe after breaking into the Red Devils first-team just before Christmas last year.
The 19-year-old bagged a goal during his side’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May and started England’s last four matches at Euro 2024 as the Three Lions reached the final before losing out to Spain.
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Garnacho, meanwhile, has become one of his team’s most important attacking players and always looks likely to make things happen in front of goal.
During his breakout campaign two seasons ago he featured 34 times in all competitions as an 18-year-old. And last time around, he started 30 Premier League matches, contributing seven goals and four assists.
The 20-year-old has been bedded in slowly this season after returning to pre-season training later than most of his team-mates following his Copa America endeavours with Argentina. But he has still looked dangerous in the attacking third when given the chance to shine.
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Mainoo and Garnacho will face competition from a string of rivals to win the Kopa Trophy. The likes of Manchester City attacker Savinho, Bayern Munich winger Mathys Tel and Spain’s Euro 2024 hero Lamine Yamal are also up for the award.
Meanwhile, Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi, Real Madrid winger Arda Guler and RB Salzburg striker Karim Konate are in the running as well, with Paris Saint-Germain duo Joao Neves and Warren Zaire-Emery also aiming to get their hands on the prize.
But whether one of the United players manages to clinch the accolade or not, Ten Hag needs to build his team around the duo as quickly as possible. And that decision could just prevent the former Ajax boss getting the axe if it pays off.
