The runners and riders to replace Erik ten Hag: Amorim, Terzic or Xavi?

Former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona head coaches among those linked with new vacancy at Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on the hunt for a new manager after taking the decision to end Erik ten Hag’s reign at Old Trafford, just 116 days after the Dutchman signed a new contract following his team’s FA Cup triumph.
A controversial defeat by West Ham was Ten Hag’s last act as Manchester United manager and his successor will inherit an underperforming squad who are 14th in the Premier League.
United’s minority stake owners Ineos courted managers last summer, including Thomas Tuchel, who has since been named England manager, but eventually decided to hand Ten Hag a new deal.
Here, Telegraph Sport assesses the runners and riders to replace Ten Hag.
With a Champions League final on his CV, Terzic has been out of work since leaving Dortmund in the summer. After a spell as West Ham assistant manager under Slaven Bilic, Terzic is no stranger to the English game and has a track record of developing young players at Dortmund including Jude Bellingham, so could be the perfect man for the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro.
After serving as Ten Hag’s assistant manager this season, the former United striker will now be interim manager and will be given the opportunity to impress in a similar way to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 
Van Nistelrooy was PSV Eindhooven manager before making the move to Old Trafford and led the Dutch club to a KNVB Cup triumph and a second place Eredivisie finish. With Ineos cutting costs since taking over at United, Van Nistelrooy could be a cheap option for the owners and would be a familiar face for fans and players.
The Barcelona great is out of a job since leaving his boyhood club at the end of last season and has been recently linked with moving to Old Trafford. Fuel was added to the fire when his wife shared an Instagram post of Xavi playing cards with his son who was wearing a Manchester United shirt. 
Xavi’s time at the Nou Camp was mixed after coming under pressure despite winning La Liga. It led to him announcing his departure as he believed he could not take the club further before reversing his decision only to be relieved of his duties a month later.
Amorim is a proven manager who has had success with Sporting Lisbon. He is highly regarded and has often been touted as a successor to high-level managers such as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. 
The Portuguese has won two titles in four years at Sporting, and United would need to pay a buy-out fee. West Ham were close to appointing the 39-year-old this summer to replace David Moyes before opting for Julen Lopetegui and Aston Villa were also interested in him.
Potter has kept a low profile since being sacked by Chelsea last April but recently told Telegraph Sport he was ready to return to the day-to-day excitement of club football. 
Potter built his reputation at Brighton before moving to Stamford Bridge with many feeling his sacking there was premature as he managed an inflated squad of young players. At Manchester United he would be able to operate under sporting director Dan Ashworth again after their successful stint together at Brighton.
Southgate has been regularly linked with the United job during Ten Hag’s reign. His international pedigree speaks for itself with two Euros finals and a World Cup semi-final, but questions still hang over his club management style after a questionable three-year stint at Middlesbrough. 
He would be well-known to the majority of the squad after working with Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire. However, he recently said he would consider a job outside of football, so would need to be persuaded to get back into the limelight.
Thomas Frank has long been touted to make the step up to a bigger club after taking Brentford from the Championship to become a well-established Premier League side. 
When recently questioned on his ambitions, Frank said that it would “not make my life better” but it could be the challenge that he needs. Because of his lack of experience at the top level, Frank would be an outside choice, but his teams are excellent at scoring from set-pieces and dead balls, something that Manchester United need to work on.
After serving as assistant manager at United under Jose Mourinho, McKenna has made a name for himself in the coaching world with back-to-back promotions with Ipswich. He was linked with the Chelsea job this summer but opted to stay at Portman Road. 
This season in the Premier League his side have been entertaining to watch but remain winless after nine matches. However, his style of play could prosper with better quality players, which has been shown recently with Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.
Who should replace Ten Hag as Manchester United manager?