Manchester United chiefs were ready to move for Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers before the Foxes' results nosedived earlier this year.

ESPN says Rodgers blew his chances of becoming United's new manager, having initially been ahead of Erik Ten Hag in the running.

The Red Devils' search for a permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer began all the way back in November, when Rodgers was the favourite to take the Old Trafford hot seat alongside Paris Saint-Germain 's Mauricio Pochettino.

The Leicester City boss had been impressing at the King Power Stadium and guided the Foxes to back-to-back fifth-place finishes, as well as an FA Cup win. Now, though, Ajax coach Ten Hag has agreed a deal in principle which puts Rodgers out of the race for good.

In reality, Rodgers' hopes had been dashed long before this week, as Leicester's results nosedived during the winter and the Foxes mustered just three wins from 12 games. That run saw them drop out of the Europa League at the group stage and fall far away from the European places in the Premier League.

The Northern Irishman's name slowly drifted away from speculation, while Ten Hag emerged as the frontrunner after further proving himself in the Champions League with Ajax.