McAteer reveals who he was 'told' ETH's replacement'll be by a current Utd star

Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has claimed to have been told who the next manager of Manchester United will be.

The Red Devils continued their dismal season as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

There remains a number of question marks around Erik ten Hag's future at the club, with United on course for their worst ever Premier League points tally with three games remaining.

Ten Hag guided United to third, an FA Cup final and Carabao Cup success in his first season in charge, but has seen his good work unravel this season with a mountain of injuries decimating his squad.

McAteer has revealed a current United player suggested to him in a recent conversation that Ten Hag will not be on the touchline next season and will be replaced.

'He plays for Man United and I had a conversation with him on Friday, i. bumped into him because I live just outside the area,' McAtee said speaking on beIN Sport.

'We got into conversation, great lad, and I asked him (the) end of the season and what he thought and he gave me no inclination that the manager was there to stay.

'In fact we spoke about different names and who we thought will be a good fit and I got no inclination from him.'

Asked how the player reacted when he brought up Thomas Tuchel, McAtee said: 'Smile (ed) but that wasn't the name.' He then said 'no' when Jose Mourinho was brought up.

Richard Keys then mentioned Gareth Southgate to which McAtee replied: 'Yes that was the name.

'Footballers have an inclination when the manager's job is on the line and they obviously know and I just got the feeling that it's done, it's done.'

England boss Southgate  has been linked with Manchester United in recent months and, with his FA contract expiring in December, his future is uncertain.

Ten Hag has been bullish about his future, believing that common sense will prevail when United's owners come to decide his future as manager.

The Dutchman is well aware that his compatriot Louis van Gaal was sacked by United despite winning the FA Cup in 2016, but he claims that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos will understand the chronic injury problems in defence when they sit down to assess his performance at the end of the season.

Asked if the Van Gaal precedent worries concerns him, Ten Hag said on Friday: 'No, I think they (the owners) have common sense.

'They seen when you have 32 different back lines, when you lose eight centre backs, when we see we don't have a left full-back, they know that will have a negative impact on results.

'But we are still fighting and it's a huge FA Cup final. We are still there, it can be a highlight of the season but we know why we are under-performing.'