Even though the Premier League giants may return with another offensive, FC Barcelona legend and former head coach Xavi Hernandez has made a decision to potentially take the job of Manchester United's now-vacant manager, according to Catalan media SPORT And Mundo Sportsboth of which cited anonymous sources.

United sacked Erik ten Hag early Monday afternoon in Europe after his first team suffered a 2-1 defeat to West Ham at the weekend, leaving them 14th in England's top flight with just 11 points accrued from nine matchdays .

The writing seemed to have been stuck for some time for the Dutchman, despite bringing two cup trophies to Old Trafford, and it always seemed to be more of a question of “when” the INEOS group would show him the exit rather than ” whether” .

That's why United's owners have been exploring a possible replacement for some time, with Xavi high on their shortlist.

Accordingly Mundo SportsA week and a half ago, Red Devils executives flew to Barcelona to meet with Xavi but failed to convince him with their offer.

It is expected that there will be another “serious offensive” to convince the legendary playmaker, who as a Barca player had two Champions League final wins against United in 2009 and 2011. But both M.D And SPORT say that Xavi has made up his mind for now.

When Xavi was sacked by Blaugrana president Joan Laporta in May, he vowed that after two and a half grueling seasons at the club where his life was in the hotseat and now occupied by ex-Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick, to take a year off.

This meant that Xavi reportedly rejected a proposal from Roma when they released Daniele De Rossi, another of the club's midfield legends, and that stance has also seen him reject United's approach so far, according to Catalan media.

In short, Xavi currently intends to keep his word and stay away from football with his family for at least 12 months.

Other potential candidates to take over in Manchester include Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim, Brentford's Thomas Frank and the unemployed Edin Terzic, who led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final last season, losing to Real Madrid at Wembley.