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Manchester United put their derby day disappointment behind them with a 2-0 win over Everton in the Premier League but the performance left a lot to be desired.
They remain eight points behind Aston Villa in fourth and six behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth, albeit having played a game more than the North London side.
A top four finish at this time looks unlikely and the FA Cup represents the best chance at European football but Liverpool are up next in the quarterfinals.
Even if United win, Erik ten Hag still might not find himself in a job in the summer with INEOS reportedly looking at quite a few replacements.
Motta, a replacement
One of them is former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta, currently in charge of Bologna who are fourth in Serie A and have the chance to qualify for the Champions League.
They are ahead of the likes of defending champions Napoli, AS Roma, Atalanta and the former Brazil and Italy international has been dubbed as “one of the best young coaches” in Europe currently.
Apart from the Red Devils, Juventus are also keeping an eye on Motta and club director Claudio Fenucci was asked about interest in their manager and star players.
Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee has also been extensively linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams with the former Bayern Munich star finding the back of the net 11 times thus far.
Fenucci, in an interview with TMW, clarified that the Italian side have no intention of parting with the manager but was far less convincing when it came to their star striker.
Zirkzee, another target
“The coach was the architect of this growth and we hope both he and the players will remain with us. Thiago is very happy in Bologna, it’s as if he already has a longer contract than he actually has.
“About Joshua… We don’t like to talk much of the future of our players, we prefer to live every moment of the present, there is great enthusiasm. In any case, the desire would be to keep everyone.”
It is clear that the Italian side will not be able to keep a hold of their striker who is generating a lot of interest in the Premier League.
As for the Champions League winner, his form might have alerted the big sides but he lacks the necessary experience and ideally, the Red Devils will likely look somewhere else if Ten Hag is indeed sacked.
Soccer2day 