Man Utd's baffling indecision on Erik ten Hag has let Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino slip away - but data-driven Brentford boss Thomas Frank could be the right fit for INEOS

United’s reluctance to own up to their mistake has already cost them not one but two potential successors if (more likely when) they decide to dispense with Ten Hag. Mauricio Pochettino is now the coach of the United States, while Thomas Tuchel is also now out of reach after agreeing to become England manager.

Pochettino was Ten Hag’s biggest rival for the United job in 2022 and the Argentine was considered when the Dutchman’s position was at risk late last season, although the terms of his contract with Chelsea complicated matters as any Premier League club looking to hire him within six months of leaving Stamford Bridge was obliged to pay the Blues £5m ($6.5m) in compensation.

Pochettino may have had a topsy-turvy season in west London but he turned things around by the end of the campaign, winning Chelsea’s last five games to finish sixth. The Argentine, who has a recognisable style of play and is loved by players and Tottenham fans alike, felt like a great fit for United but is unlikely to ever coach them now.

Nor is Tuchel, who met Ratcliffe in May and even discussed financial terms but failed to see eye to eye with United's minority shareholder. Nonetheless, he remained a tempting fall back option in the event that Ten Hag’s third season unravelled, as it has done so already.

Tuchel made a remarkable improvement at Chelsea when he took over in the middle of the 2020-21 season, inheriting a demotivated collection of individuals that had failed to click under Frank Lampard and were ninth in the Premier League at the time. He inspired them to finish fourth, reach the FA Cup final and of course to win the Champions League, beating Pep Guardiola with a tactical masterclass.

He had an impeccable record in knockout competitions, reaching four finals out of five with Chelsea, while winning Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. But now that ship has sailed, with Tuchel signing his England contract on the same day that Ratcliffe, Joel Glazer and United's other executives held a board meeting in London and discussed Ten Hags future.

If a lack of exciting alternatives was the real motive behind sticking with Ten Hag in the summer, then there are even fewer options available to them now.

But there is one candidate who United also spoke with in the close season who remains available. And he will be coming up against Ten Hag at Old Trafford on Saturday. Thomas Frank has always seemed like an outside candidate for the United job but it is not hard to see why he has been in the wider conversation whenever there has been doubt about Ten Hag.

After all, it was the Dane who dealt Ten Hag one of the greatest humiliations of his career when Brentford battered United 4-0 in August 2022 in the Dutchman’s second game in charge. The Bees also outplayed the Red Devils last season at the G-tech Community Stadium, even if they only snatched a 1-1 draw with a last-gasp equaliser.

Frank’s record with Brentford might not necessarily make him an A-list candidate, with the Bees finishing 13th, ninth and 16th in the Premier League in the last three seasons. His results against the top sides, however, are highly impressive.

In 12 matches against the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ clubs in 2022-23, Brentford accrued 21 points. His side did the double over champions Manchester City that same season and remain the last team in any competition to beat Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad Stadium, back in November 2022.

Brentford gave City a real fright when they met earlier this season, scoring in the opening minute before eventually losing 2-1 after missing a hatful of chances. And Guardiola could not help but doff his cap to Frank.

“I don’t remember in eight, nine years a team that played like Brentford in the first 30 minutes. We were not our best and they deserved to be 0-2. Every time they had the ball they created a chance," he said. "An extraordinary team, we have suffered since they were promoted, all the games against Thomas have been difficult."

Guardiola added that he had a "huge list" of reasons why Brentford were so tough to play against. "They are good in high pressing, second ball. Defend deep, so compact. High pressing, they play short passes. Set pieces, every corner is a headache. Every throw in, every free kick. Every department, all the things they do. It’s the manager they have. Thomas is one of the best."

And that begged the question: why is Frank still at Brentford? Guardiola smiled. "It's a question of time, he will get a good club. I'm good at a few things, one of which is reading when the manager is good. It is going to happen."

Guardiola is far from Frank’s only admirer among the upper echelons of Premier League management. Jurgen Klopp said Brentford and Frank "show even with less money you can create something really special". Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, hailed the Bees as "one of the best run clubs in the league".

Frank might just be one part of Brentford’s remarkable success over the last decade, in which they rose from mid-table obscurity to become one of the mainstays of the Premier League. Brentford owner Matthew Benham, who began his career in banking before moving into the gambling industry, is renowned for his analytics-driven approach, which has seen the Bees use data with great success in multiple areas, from the transfer market to set pieces, to injury prevention.

Benham’s approach made him several enemies, not least the staff he fired in 2015 despite earning the team promotion from League One to the Championship the year before. Frank, who has been in charge of Brentford since 2018 and led them into the Premier League for the first time in 2021, has fully embraced the approach.

“The overall value of my performance analysis team is crucial to the performance we put in every week," Frank told Hudl. "They are a massive part of the success we have."

It is easy to see why INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, whose ‘marginal gains’ approach proved so successful for British Cycling and Team Sky, is an admirer. Brailsford invited Frank to his 60th birthday party in February along with Gareth Southgate, Pochettino, Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Hodgson. Ten Hag was not among the guests.

Frank has always been respectful of Brentford but he has not exactly quashed talk of him eventually moving to a bigger club. When Guardiola’s prediction was put to him, he said: "He’s a very clever man."

And this week he allowed himself to get drawn into hypotheticals. "I've said many times I'm very happy at Brentford. Who knows what will happen in the future," Frank told Talksport. "Maybe I’ll stay here for many years. I'm open, maybe something happens. But first and foremost, I'm very happy, just working very hard every day to make the club better."

Asked what he meant by his 'open' remark, Frank explained: "That's because it's very difficult to predict the future. Who knows what will happen." Frank’s representatives spoke to Chelsea before the Blues appointed Enzo Maresca as Pochettino’s successor and they were reported to have met with United in May, along with Tuchel and Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna before the club decided to stick with Ten Hag.

The Dutchman has a knack for winning trophies and his tactics in the shock FA Cup final win over City proved crucial to him remaining at the club despite overseeing United’s worst ever season in the Premier League. Frank’s only trophy win was the 2021 Championship Play-off and his lack of top-level experience is clearly one of the big reasons why no so-called big club has taken a chance on him.

United might be wary of appointing Frank after David Moyes failed miserably when stepping up from Everton to manage the Red Devils after Ferguson retired in 2013. Since then the club have opted for proven winners such as Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ten Hag, plus club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But the previous successes of those serial winners counted for little when they got to Old Trafford and Solskjaer, who had no top level experience, remains the only manager in the post-Ferguson era who has achieved successive top-four finishes.

Frank would be a leap into the unknown in terms of top-level experience but United would also know they were getting a diligent manager obsessed with detail who knows how to do a lot with a little. His team might be lacking in star power, particularly after Ivan Toney left, but they are incredibly well-drilled.

Take the fact that they have scored in the opening two minutes in their last four Premier League games. United have looked bereft of ideas this season and severely lacking in identity. Moments of brilliance from individuals like Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have saved them from a far worse fate.

So imagine what Frank could do with the same approach he has taken with Brentford but with top-quality players and an improved budget. Perhaps it’s time United started thinking outside the box and gave this universally admired manager the opportunity he deserves.