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Manchester United saw an approach for Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness knocked back during the summer before opting to retain Erik ten Hag, a report has revealed.
After a disappointing 2023/24 campaign, Ten Hag entered the summer under immense pressure as new controlling owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS held a post-season review of his performance.
Contact was made with a handful of managers, including Thomas Tuchel, as United officials sought to determine whether Ten Hag was the best boss available at the time.
According to BILD, another manager contacted by United was Stuttgart’s Hoeness, whose stock rose to new levels last season when his side finished second in the Bundesliga, ahead of Bayern Munich and behind only Bayer Leverkusen.
It is claimed that United reached out to Hoeness to discuss a possible switch to Old Trafford but the 42-year-old, who was also linked with Chelsea summer, politely declined.
Hoeness was flattered by United’s approach but felt his work at Stuttgart was not yet finished and refused the chance to jump ship.
United ultimately decided to hand Ten Hag a contract extension but once again found themselves forced to make a choice on his future this week. Club officials met in a scheduled meeting and added Ten Hag’s underwhelming performance to the agenda, eventually deciding to persist with the Dutchman.