Manchester United reportedly turned down the chance to hire Graham Potter as their new manager due to his lack of Champions League experience.
The Red Devils were on the lookout for a new manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last November, with Ralf Rangnick taking the reigns on an Interim basis until the end of the season. But United decided to appoint Erik ten Hag as their new boss after a successful four-year spell at Ajax, where he won multiple Eredivisie titles.
It has now been revealed that Potter, however, was on the shortlist to become the next United manager. According to the Daily Mail, now-Chelsea boss Potter was in contention for the role but was rejected due to his inexperience in Europe, despite the fact Ten Hag had never worked in the Premier League before.
United failed to qualify for the Champions League last season after finishing sixth with their lowest-ever point tally, having accumulated just 58 from their 38 matches. It meant the club qualified for the Europa League instead, with the Red Devils losing their first group game against Real Sociedad on Thursday night thanks to Brias Mendez's controversial second-half penalty.
This was United's first defeat in five matches, however, with Ten Hag spearheading a mini revival after what was a dreadful start to the season. The Red Devils currently sit fifth in the Premier League, having picked up four victories from their opening six matches, although defeat in the Europa League has put a downer on their form.
Meanwhile, Potter was announced as the new Chelsea manager on Thursday, where he will manage in the Champions League. This is the second time he will compete in Europe after helping Ostersunds to the Europa League Round of 32 in 2017/18, where they were eventually knocked out by Arsenal over two legs.
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Potter is extremely pleased to be given the opportunity to manage Chelsea and is hoping to achieve success at Stamford Bridge. "I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club," the 47-year-old said upon his appointment as Blues boss.
"I am very excited to partner with Chelsea's new ownership group and look forward to meeting and working with the exciting group of players and to develop a team and culture that our amazing fans can be proud of."
Chelsea have shown faith in Potter by handing him a five-year deal and appointing the trusted staff unit he felt he needed around him to be successful. Collaboration and communication are also key. The lack of both in their relationship with former manager Thomas Tuchel were factors in his downfall.
