‘A great fit’ - Manchester United backed for shock Eddie Howe appointment

Pressure has ramped up on Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag following their 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. That is despite Old Trafford chiefs handing the Dutchman a surprise contract extension over the summer.

Bookmakers now price Ten Hag as the favourite in the Premier League sack race - with trips to Porto and Aston Villa in the coming days. Howe’s name, just as it was for England, has been thrown into the mix as a potential replacement.

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Man United pillaged Newcastle earlier this year by luring sporting director Dan Ashworth to the Theatre of Dreams. A four-month-long saga which threatened to turn ugly came to an end in July.

A shake-up at Old Trafford saw Ashworth join the Ineos-backed revolution, with Manchester City's Omar Berrada and Southampton's Jason Wilcox also taking up key roles. However, six games into the Premier League season, questions are already being asked about the manager's future.

Ex-Sunderland striker Bent now believes the Red Devils should snatch a key figure from St James’ Park. He told talkSPORT: “I was thinking, when you’re talking about a manager and someone who could fit… Eddie Howe.

“Remember the toxicity when he got the job? To where they are now? Plus he’s worked with Dan Ashworth. Their relationship was good. My only thing is, why would he leave Newcastle to go to Man United right now? I get it, they’re a bigger club but Newcastle look like they’re trying to build something. 

“He (Howe) obviously got Newcastle over the line in terms of getting into the Champions League. I think he’d be a great fit. I don’t think he’d leave, but I think he’d be a great fit.”