Manchester United 'will sack Erik ten Hag' even if they win FA Cup final against City as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos make huge call... with Tuchel, Pochettino and McKenna among names in the frame to replace him

Manchester United have reportedly decided to sack Erik ten Hag regardless of the outcome of Saturday's FA Cup final.

The Dutch coach has endured a difficult second season at Old Trafford, finishing eighth in the Premier League - the club's lowest finish since 1990 - and falling short in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

While they have made the FA Cup showpiece at Wembley, they begin as underdogs against rivals Manchester City.

According to The Guardian, United co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have decided to dispense with Ten Hag even if they upset the odds and beat City.

Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter will reportedly be considered as a replacement for Ten Hag.

The move would represent the most decisive action since Ratcliffe and Ineos completed their purchase of a 27.7 per cent stake from the Glazer family last December, taking over control of football operations. 

They have wasted no time in reshaping United's executive structure and sketching out plans to rebuild Old Trafford but have remained non-committal over Ten Hag's future in recent weeks.

The only way United can qualify for European football next season is by beating City, which would earn them a spot in the UEFA Europa League. 

After a strong first season in charge after joining from Ajax, which saw Ten Hag guide United to a third place finish in the Premier League and Carabao Cup success, they have slipped backwards.

United's European campaign was over by Christmas after they finished bottom of a group featuring Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, while Newcastle knocked them out the Carabao Cup.

They lost 14 Premier League matches and finished with a negative goal difference, ending up eighth, some 31 points shy of champions City and eight points off qualifying for the Champions League. 

In the FA Cup, United defeated Liverpool in the quarter-finals but required penalties to overcome Coventry City in the semi-finals after throwing away a 3-0 lead. 

The poor season came after more considerable investment in Ten Hag's squad with an initial £64million spent on striker Rasmus Hojlund, £55m on midfielder Mason Mount and £43.8m on goalkeeper Andre Onana.

In Ten Hag's mitigation, he has grappled with an injury crisis throughout the season which has seen him short of first-choice players in several key areas. 

If he is fired after the FA Cup final, a year before the end of his contract, there would be echoes of Louis van Gaal's dismissal in 2016.

Despite United beating Crystal Palace to lift the trophy, the Dutch coach was sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho. 

Speaking on Thursday, Ten Hag insisted he is planning 'to keep going in the project' when asked about his future. 

'I am just focusing on the job I have to do and that is, first, win the game on Saturday and then we are in the project and keep going in the project. Until Saturday I only think about this game.

'It's all about trophies but you need an opportunity to win a trophy. So last 10 years, not so many trophies in this club but we have an opportunity to win two trophies in two years.

'I came here to win trophies. Saturday I have the next opportunity and we achieved this. We earned this opportunity as a team and now we have to go for it. 

'At the same time in the last two years, of course every season you review it and then we will see where we are in the project and the things that we have to change.

'We spoke lately about it. Underneath there are very good things, players coming up and players developing, values coming up and at the same time we have on Saturday a big opportunity to win the next trophy.

'The FA Cup final is a big event and we are there, even when the season is not going our way we are there. We have an opportunity and it's never been easy, but we have to go for it and we will go for it.

'We have to believe as we did last season, as we have done often against good opponents, we play our best football and I expect that again on Saturday.'

If Ten Hag has sacked, it comes at an interesting time in the managerial marketplace, with several big names available.

Argentine Pochettino, who has been linked with the United job several time before, parted company with Chelsea after just one season earlier this week.

Tuchel, a former Champions League winner with Chelsea, has left Bayern Munich after differences of opinion with their hierarchy and a failure to win silverware this season.

McKenna, who is also wanted by Chelsea, is a former United coach and has seen his stock soar after guiding Ipswich Town from League One to the Premier League in back-to-back seasons.

Potter has been out of coaching work since Chelsea dismissed him last season, while Brentford boss Frank has also been linked with the United job in recent days.