Liverpool legend Klopp made favourite for colossal new role as Man Utd axe talk ramps up

Jurgen Klopp is being strongly tipped for a return to management with one of Serie A’s biggest clubs amid claims they will make the Liverpool icon their No 1 target to replace a title-winning coach following reports he will move to Manchester United should Erik ten Hag be axed.

Ten Hag is a man under serious pressure in the wake of a dismal start to the season that has already witnessed three defeats in six Premier League matches – two of which were 3-0 home trouncings at the hands of Liverpool and, most recently Tottenham – to leave Manchester United down in 12th place in the Premier League table.

With all kinds of rumours surfacing over his future and when the axe might fall – and TEAMtalk revealed last week before the Spurs embarrassment that it is just a ‘matter of time’ before he is removed from his job – speculation over who might replace the Dutchman is already beginning to gather serious pace.

And one name being strongly linked with the Red Devils hotseat is Inter’s title-winning coach Simone Inzaghi, whom was reported by InterLive last week has already been earmarked as the top choice of Sir Jim Ratcliffe to success Ten Hag at Old Trafford.

Amid fears that the 48-year-old has already greenlighted a potential move to Manchester United, the reigning Serie A champions are drawing up succession plans of their own – and it seems that Klopp is the top name of two shortlisted coaches on their hitlist.

Per InterLive, they would also consider a move for their former midfielder and current Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone. But with Klopp currently out of work, taking a well-earned sabbaticol after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season, it’s claimed those in charge of Inter believe the 57-year-old German remains an easier-to-achieve objective and they would have no hesitation in making the Reds icon their ‘top target’ in the event that Inzaghi departs.

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What are Klopp plans after Liverpool and what has he said on Serie A?

It’s easy to see why Inter Milan would make a beeline for the appointment of Klopp, given his achievements with Liverpool and with his status firmly intact as one of the best managers in the world game.

However, while he was tempted quickly out of a planned year-long break to take charge at Liverpool in October 2015, it seems doubtful he will do the same with Inter, having made clear his need for a complete and total recharge.

On his need to take a break, Klopp stated: “If you ask me, ‘Will you ever work as a manager again? ‘ I would say now no. But I don’t know obviously how that will feel because I never had the situation. What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool.

“But all the rest, will I ever work again? Of course, I know myself, I cannot just sit around. I will find something else maybe to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible, I cannot do that and I don’t want to. That’s all.”

Having since been linked with a number of top jobs with the USA, Barcelona and most recently, the Germany national job, Klopp has also responded to questions about a move to Serie A before – and has indicated that the language barrier could prove a problem.

Speaking to the Italian media before April’s Europa League semi-final clash against Atalanta, Klopp stated: “The only Italian thing I know is Italian food.

“At this moment I don’t plan a further career as a manager. Ask me in a year’s time, but now I don’t plan anything.”

Ten Hag a man on the brink as Jamie Carragher adds salt to wounds

With United next facing tough away days against FC Porto (in the Europa League) and Aston Villa in the Premier League, those performances and results will be under intense scrutiny by those in charge of the club and the media alike.

A number of observers have already claimed it is hard to see a way back for Ten Hag as things stand, with Paul Scholes claiming their players look ‘dead’ and the team looks ‘uncoached’.

Gary Lineker, meanwhile, has drawn his own conclusions on what will happen next at United, with the Match of the Day anchor revealing his pretty damning conclusion over Ten Hag’s United reign.

Elsewhere, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher could not resist a dig at the club’s £43m summer signing Matthijs de Ligt, pulling apart his defensive awareness and performance while analysing their Tottenham horror show during a brutal Monday Night Football feature.

How does Ten Hag compare to Klopp and Arteta after two years?

Erik ten Hag, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp’s stats for their first two seasons

Despite the knives sharpening for Ten Hag, his record over his first two years at Old Trafford actually compares surprisingly favourably to both Mikel Arteta at Arsenal and Klopp while at Anfield.

Indeed, the Dutchman is ahead of his peers when it coems to matches won, points per game and trophies won. While Arteta did win the FA Cup for Arsenal a few months into his reign, it took Klopp almost four seasons – and success in the Champions League – to claim his first piece of silverware.

However, it’s perhaps the manner of these defeats and the seemingly widening chasm that exists between United and the rest of the Premier League’s top sides which are starting to stand against him, leading to the increasing number of question marks over just how long he will last in the role.

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