Manchester United are now backed into a corner of trying to find a replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The club have announced Solskjaer has been sacked.
So who is next? This is the difficult part, and the aspect which has probably kept Solskjaer in post for the past three weeks, until the point where it is no longer tenable to continue regardless.
Here we run the rule over 10 potential candidates for the Manchester United job…
Zinedine Zidane
Zidane is reported by The Times to be United’s preference. The Frenchman could be the big name the Glazers are looking for.
Zidane won three Champions League titles with Real Madrid, and has previously worked with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane.
There is speculation he is holding out for the PSG job, Le10Sport, and may be prepared to wait and pass on United’s approach.
Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers dismissed United talk in a press conference on Thursday. That does not mean anything, considering he did the same while at Celtic shortly before joining Leicester.
The MEN claim Rodgers is a preferred option, and he has the Premier League experience Zidane lacks, but not the European record.
United would likely have to pay compensation to Leicester, and it should be noted they are having a poor season, losing 3-0 at home to Chelsea yesterday.
Erik Ten Hag
Dutchman Erik Ten Hag is the man of the moment, enjoying a fantastic season with Ajax.
That makes him less likely to want to join United right now. It would not be easy to tempt him away.
United may have to wait until the end of the season for Ten Hag to consider the role, and so hire an interim between now and then.
Mauricio Pochettino
Hiring an interim boss may allow United to wait on Mauricio Pochettino too.
Zidane looming over PSG could make Pochettino’s spell at the club more difficult as the season goes on.
Pochettino could suffer like Thomas Tuchel, where failure to win the Champions League for PSG could see him fired, opening up a possible move to United.
Julen Lopetegui
The Athletic report Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui is a possible option for Manchester United.
Sevilla sit joint top of La Liga, and so like Ten Hag, he may consider this a poor time to walk away.
Lopetegui won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2019/20, knocking United out in the semi-finals.
Graham Potter
A dark horse option, Brighton boss Graham Potter is doing a great job on the south coast.
He is one of the most highly regarded managers in the league tactically, although lacks the top level experience United may crave after the Solskjaer experiment.
Potter would be a brave move, it also might end up being an inspired one.
Laurent Blanc
Blanc is being considered as a possible interim option, report The Athletic.
He would come in until the end of the season if a Ten Hag or Pochettino could not be lured now and United wanted to wait.
Blanc is currently managing in Qatar with Al Rayyan, and previously managed PSG.
Ruben Amorim
Amorim has not been linked, but he is one of Europe’s top up and coming coaches who should be on the radar.
He won the title with Sporting last season to help them win the league for the first time in 19 years.
Amorim plays pressing, attacking football, and is just 36. United could look to hire him while he is on the rise, rather than chase a big name past their best.
Ralf Rangnick
Another possible interim appointment, Ralf Rangnick could pave the way for another rebuild at United.
Rangnick was reported by Bild to be interested in the role a fortnight ago.
He plays a direct, attacking brand of football, and is an expert on recruitment. Potentially he could move up into a director role afterwards, if United were brave enough to take him on.
Luis Enrique
Spanish boss Luis Enrique is on United’s shortlist, The MEN reported last week.
Enrique is the current Spain boss, and so it is going to be difficult to lure him away from his role before the World Cup.
However, with enough money, if United are dead set on him, he could be a manager who could be tempted away.
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