Former Barcelona manager Xavi has reportedly not heard anything from Manchester United and has not changed his own plans about taking a sabbatical.
The Spanish tactician has been out of work since leaving Barca at the end of last season, but it was recently claimed that Man Utd chiefs held talks with him about replacing Erik ten Hag, according to the Daily Mail.
Ten Hag has today been sacked by United and Ruud van Nistelrooy has been placed in charge as interim manager, with a more experienced replacement surely set to be targeted in the coming weeks.
Xavi, however, does not seem to be in active talks with United, according to reliable Spanish journalist Guillem Balague…
The idea of Xavi has not changed
A sabbatical year and start a new project (why not in the Premier League) in the summer
He has not heard from Manchester United pic.twitter.com/tkYW4gEheW
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) October 28, 2024
Xavi could be a decent option worth considering for United, but the deal perhaps seems unlikely for now, so it will be interesting to see if the Premier League giants step up their interest in the 44-year-old or move for alternative candidates.
Would Xavi be the ideal choice for Manchester United?
Xavi did a decent job at Barcelona, but it remains to be seen if he’s really done enough in his managerial career so far to suggest that he could take on a job as difficult as the one at United.
Ten Hag is the latest to fail to revive the club in this difficult post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and so many others have also performed below expectations.
Xavi may have won one La Liga title at the Nou Camp, but things didn’t end that well for him there, with the team clearly improving a great deal under new manager Hansi Flick this season.
United will surely have a few other names under consideration, and it’s not clear if Xavi would really be the outstanding candidate anyway, as some fans might prefer someone with more of a track record at the very highest level, as well as Premier League experience.