O’Neil tipped to make Wolves return, although former Man United boss also under consideration

Wolves are considering former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, although Gary O’Neil remains the favourite to take over from Vitor Pereira, according to reports.

The Athletic suggest O’Neil has already held talks with the Molineux hierarchy to return to a club that sacked him in December 2024. O’Neil signed a four-year contract four months earlier but was dismissed with Wolves in 19th place in the Premier League.

While appointing O’Neil would not necessarily galvanise a disillusioned fan base, he would seem a safe pair of hands, unlike Ten Hag, who underperformed at United and then lasted just three games at Bayer Leverkusen.

The Dutchman spent nearly two and a half years at Old Trafford and did win them the EFL Cup in 2022 and FA Cup a year later.

Yet there were persistent question marks around a lack of a clear playing style while bust-ups with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho undoubtedly weakened the squad and his leadership within the dressing room.

Leverkusen stint did little to improve Ten Hag’s reputation

A move to Leverkusen was supposed to offer a chance for Ten Hag to rebuild his reputation but it went south very quickly. The players never seemed convinced while those above him quickly realised they had made an error. The axe fell after a 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen when they squandered a 3-1 lead with a man advantage.

Former Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, and the man who succeeded him at the Riverside, Rob Edwards, have also been mentioned as replacements for Pereira, who was dismissed yesterday, 24 hours after the 3-0 defeat at Fulham.

The Black Country club have not won in the league this season and taken just two points from their opening 10 games.