Former Barcelona manager desperate for Manchester United job

Manchester United could soon be on the hunt for a new manager, and one candidate may end up being former Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez, who has now been out of work for well over a year.

Xavi was sacked by Barcelona at the end of the 2023-24 season to facilitate the arrival of Hansi Flick, and upon being fired, he announced that he would be taking a sabbatical year. He only started considering job offers from this summer, but as of yet, he has not found one worth taking.

But that could soon change, with Ruben Amorim under increasing pressure at Man United. And according to Fabrizio Romano (via CaughtOffside), Xavi would be very interested in replacing him at Old Trafford.

“Xavi is studying the Premier League. Xavi is monitoring the Premier League and Xavi would immediately go to Man United – even without European football, he would go immediately to Premier League.”

Image via Sergio Ruiz/Imago

For now, Man United are prepared to continue backing Amorim, who has been in the position for less than a year. However, if it is decided that he needs to go, Xavi would be right there waiting for the position, as he seeks his third management job after Al-Sadd and Barcelona. In his eyes, a move to Old Trafford would be perfect for the next stage of his career.

Middle East return also possible for Xavi

In the meantime, Xavi has also been linked with another job, as Sport have reported that Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad are considering him as a replacement to the recently-sacked Laurent Blanc. Former Milan head coach Sergio Conceiçao is also in the running, in what is currently seen as a two-man race for the position.

It remains to be seen when Xavi makes his long-awaited return to management, and when he does, it will be interesting to see how he gets on.