The long-term future of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag remains unclear after yet another xG-defying result in the Premier League over the weekend.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS may want to go in a different direction with the head coach of the club in the summer, particularly given the worrying trend of performances in the top-flight this season.
The Red Devils fought to secure a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday in the Premier League. However, wasteful finishing stopped them from being convincingly beaten, as the away side ended the game with 3.67 xG and 62% possession to United's 0.7 xG.
It is now being reported that the club are eyeing up a manager from the Serie A to arrive in Manchester, should they decide to part ways with their current tactician.
Man Utd make contact over deal for Serie A manager
According to Italian outfit La Repubblica, the Red Devils have made contact with Bologna to request information on their boss Thiago Motta ahead of the summer.
The report claims that there is currently an expectation that the 41-year-old chief will leave the Serie A side to join a 'top club' for the 2024/25 campaign, although it remains to be seen whether or not that club will be based in Manchester.
United are not the only team interested in securing his services as Italian giants Juventus have also been keen on him for several weeks, and it is said that they are the club in 'pole position' at this moment in time.
Ratcliffe and his team are keeping tabs on Motta and his situation and could utilise the information gathered on the Brazil-born tactician to make a move for him in the summer if Ten Hag is dismissed.
The 4-2-3-1 manager, who has been with Bologna since September 2022, has only lost five games in 31 Serie A matches so far this season, which has left his side fourth in the table and fighting to secure Champions League football for next season.
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The former Italy international's excellent coaching has been on display throughout the 2023/24 campaign, as his side have been defensively excellent whilst also offering an attacking threat.
In 31 Serie A games, Bologna have only given up 20.86 xGA from open play and 5.16 xGA from corners, and have conceded just 25 goals in total.
United, meanwhile, have given up a staggering 35.23 xGA from open play and 9.44 xGA from corners, along with 3.66 xGA from set-pieces in 31 Premier League matches.
Andre Onana is currently second in the division for goals (xG) prevented with 4.52, which shows that the former Inter star has bailed out the team's poor defending on many occasions.
Open play
20.86
35.23
Corner
5.16
9.44
Set piece
1.58
3.66
Direct free-kick
0.82
1.09
Penalty
4.57
2.28
As you can see in the table above, Bologna have been significantly better defensively in every metric aside from penalties conceded, which suggests that Motta is far more capable of organising a solid defensive structure than Ten Hag.
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Meanwhile, the Italian side have also scored 45 goals in their 31 games – as many as Juventus in third – and have minimised their defeats and pushed into the top four due to the platform their fantastic defence gives them to go and pick up points.