Manchester United have six names shortlisted to take the reins until the end of this season following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ‘s dismissal last weekend.
The Norwegian was sacked from his role as United boss after a disastrous run of results saw a return of five defeats from seven league outings, the final straw a humiliating 4-1 defeat by newly-promoted Watford.
In turn, Michael Carrick, a former player and an assistant to Solskjaer, has been tasked with the responsibility of leading the club through these troubled times until the plan for the rest of the season becomes clearer.
United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and managing director Richard Arnold opted against travelling to Spain for Tuesday’s clash with Villarreal, instead interviewing candidates for the role.
With that being said, here are the six managers the Old Trafford hierarchy have interviewed with a view to steering the ship for the remainder of the campaign.
Read More
Ernesto Valverde
Very high chance
Best known for his three-year stint in the Camp Nou hot seat, Valverde is one of the most qualified candidates in terms of managing under the white-hot spotlight that comes with a huge club.
The 57-year-old has already held talks with United’s director of football John Murtough and has a number of keen admirers at the top of the Red Devils food chain.
An overwhelming amount of Valverde’s two decade coaching career has come from the comfort of his home country of Spain, though he has ventured as far as Greece on two separate occasions to guide Olympiacos to the double on both occasions.
(
Image:
SIPA USA/PA Images)
Spanish Super-Cup success while at the helm of Athletic Bilbao heightened Valverde’s stock and, sure enough, two years later he was named as Luis Enrique’s successor at Barcelona.
Two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and another Spanish Super-Cup were, while impressive, seen as the bare minimum at Barcelona and failure to achieve Champions League success was often used to bash him.
Things soured during the 2019/season, before Valverde was eventually sacked.
In terms of the likelihood he takes over at Old Trafford, his prior experience at managing a dressing room full of high-profile names and egos will undeniably make him a favourable candidate.
Reports suggest he is keen to test himself in the Premier League and few tests come bigger than the one currently awaiting the next boss at United.
Ralf Rangnick
Unlikely chance
Currently the head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow, Rangnick is viewed as a guru by many in European football.
Much like Valverde, the bulk of Rangnick’s experience stems from one country with the 63-year-old enjoying a number of different roles in Germany.
Originally a manager, Rangnick then briefly transitioned into a sporting director role for Austrian outfit RB Salzburg during the 2012/13 campaign before returning to coaching with RB Leipzig in 2015-16 and 2018-19.
A keen eye for talent, United could utilise Rangnick’s ability to spot a player in the January transfer window.
Under his stewardship, Leipzig secured the signatures of Joshua Kimmich, Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Timo Werner while singing Sadio Mane back at Salzburg.
The chances of United and Rangnick suddenly working together just two years after negotiations between the pair collapsed seems unlikely, especially given the acrimonious terms negotiations were left on.
Lucien Favre
Medium chance
Despite a turbulent two periods in charge of Borussia Dortmund, Favre remains a man in-demand, particularly with Premier League clubs.
Both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace were recently linked with the Swiss, before opting for other candidates.
After winning the German Super Cup while in charge of the Black and Yellow, Favre was sacked in embarrassing fashion after his Dortmund side were humbled 5-1 by a newly-promoted Stuttgart.
(
Image:
REUTERS)
There is already one clear line of communication linking Favre to the Old Trafford dressing room in the form of Jadon Sancho.
The pair worked closely together at the Signal Iduna Park and are rumoured to enjoy a good relationship.
While Favre has a fighting chance of securing the job, the fact his Dortmund sides mirrored United in the way they could tear some teams apart, while capitulating against others should be a cause for concern.
Rudi Garcia
Very high chance
Much like Valverde and Favre, Garcia is out of work and therefore is undeniably easier to entice to Old Trafford.
The Frenchman will already have some fans in the red half of Manchester, after being in charge of Lyon when they dumped Man City out of the Champions League last year.
Garcia has a proven track-record of improving things at whatever club he takes charge of, the bulk of them coming in Ligue 1.
Famed for his progressive and exciting footballing philosophy, Garcia remarkably won a league and cup double at Lille during the 2010-11 campaign.
Having overseen an impressive three-year spell at Roma, where he enjoyed successive second-placed finishes behind titans Juventus, Garcia guided Marseille to the Europa League final in 2018.
The 57-year-old seems like one of the most obvious choices given his availability, track record of winning silverware and attractive playing style.
His ability to speak English, Spanish and Italian will also ensure a smooth transition in a multi-cultural dressing room.
Paulo Fonseca
Low chance
Fonseca could view the chance to take the reins at United as an opportunity to finally manage in the Premier League.
The 48-year-old has been on the brink of two roles in the English top-flight in recent months, firstly at Tottenham Hotspur, who eventually opted for Nuno Espirito Santo.
Newcastle United were rumoured to have come knocking shortly after, though the St. James’ Park board ended up favouring Eddie Howe.
(
Image:
REUTERS)
Huge success in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk, Fonseca spent two years in Serie A with AS Roma, the highlight coming in the form of a relatively successful in the Europa League as they reached the last four.
Fonseca would likely be an unpopular appointment among the United faithful given his trophy-less stint at the biggest club he has taken charge of in Roma.
Michael Carrick
(
Image:
Getty Images)
Low chance
Technically already in charge, Carrick is rather bizarrely the interim until another interim is found.
Already carrying one game as United boss under his belt, Carrick prowled his technical area as the Red Devils registered a vital 2-0 away win over Villarreal.
The 40-year-old has been coy over his chance of staying on in his current role until the end of the season.
Speaking before kick-off in Spain on Tuesday night, Carrick said: “First and foremost it has been literally a day, 24 hours. The game is not much further away.
“All I have been thinking about is the game. Not looked past that, big game on the weekend but we will address whenever we need to.
“As long as club want me I will give my best.”
While United enjoyed their best performance in weeks under Carrick, the United hierarchy will undoubtedly be cautious over falling into the sentiment trap and giving the role to another ex-player like they did with Solskjaer.
Read More
Read More
