Erik ten Hag 'sets one condition' for next job which says it all about Man Utd nightmare

has spent more than six months out of work since being sacked by . But reports indicate that he and legend Cesc Fabregas are the two front-runners for the Bayer Leverkusen job which will be vacated by -bound Xabi Alonso this summer.

After enduring a turbulent time at Old Trafford, Ten Hag was always likely to be picky about his next destination. The Dutchman had built up a stellar reputation across spells in the dugout with Go Ahead Eagles, 's second team, Utrecht and . But his stock took a big hit in the , where he failed to restore United's former glory despite being backed with a raft of his own signings.

The 55-year-old cannot afford another rocky tenure if he wants to get his managerial career back on track. And as he searches for his next post, one of his main conditions speaks volumes about what went wrong with the Red Devils.

According to , Ten Hag 'longs to work' at a club with clear and lean structures. The make-up of the squad was overseen by a range of different figures at Old Trafford, from former sporting director John Murtough to the new team of transfer chiefs brought in by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Having left that environment behind, Ten Hag reportedly wants clarity over who does what, who he reports to and who reports to him.

Leverkusen fits the brief. Well-regarded managing director of sport Simon Rolfes worked successfully alongside Alonso for their unbeaten 2023/24 Bundesliga season, and the pair are departing on good terms.

Whether Ten Hag will get the job remains to be seen. Fabregas is reportedly held in high regard by club chiefs, but the Spaniard is under contract with Italian side Como until 2028, and it would take a hefty fee to get him out of it.

In February, Ten Hag revealed that he was always going to take some time out of the game to reflect on his up-and-down spell at United. "I had already decided that I'm not doing anything until July 1," he told the podcast.

"If there's one thing I miss, it's Old Trafford. You're always working towards a dot on the horizon, but you never get to the horizon. We've had many highs, there is always room for improvement and good is not enough. You can do better."