Sir Alex Ferguson would reportedly be in favour of Massimiliano Allegri becoming Manchester United's new head coach if Erik ten Hag was to leave Old Trafford in the near future.

Ten Hag allegedly has two games to save his job at the club, starting with Thursday's Europa League contest against Porto.

Failure to secure a positive result in Portugal would leave the Dutchman in a vulnerable position ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, and defeats in both of the matches would likely lead to him being sacked.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is the favourite to be appointed as the new head coach on an interim basis, while Gareth Southgate would also be firmly in the frame if a change was made in the near future.

However, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Allegri is also being considered, and the Italian has already been recommended to the 20-time English champions by their legendary former manager Ferguson.

Allegri 'could replace Ten Hag at Old Trafford'

A recent report claimed that Allegri had been contacted by Man United to determine whether he would be interested in becoming the English club's next head coach.

Allegri, who has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, allegedly 'dreams' of managing in the Premier League, and he is available, having left Juventus at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Italian had two separate spells in charge of the Old Lady, winning five Serie A titles, five Coppa Italia trophies and two Italian Super Cups, while he also led the club to two Champions League finals.

Allegri certainly has the experience to deal with being in charge of a major European club, and it is believed that Ferguson would advise Man United to appoint the 57-year-old if a change was to be made.

Ten Hag 'still has support of senior players at Old Trafford'

Despite the team's struggles this season, it is understood that Ten Hag still has the support of the senior figures in the dressing room at Old Trafford.

Man United suffered a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, and they are currently down in 13th spot in the table, picking up just seven points from their first six matches.

The Red Devils did progress to the next stage of the EFL Cup with a 7-0 victory over Barnsley, but they were unconvincing in a 1-1 home draw with FC Twente in their Europa League opener.

Ten Hag has insisted that he will be given time to turn things around at Old Trafford, but two poor results in the team's next two matches could lead to the Dutchman being removed from his position ahead of the October international break.