Manchester United step up pursuit for new manager with a four-man shortlist in mind
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic (Subscription Required), Manchester United have increased their efforts in the pursuit of a new permanent manager and have a four-man shortlist in mind. Ralf Rangnick is currently managing them on an interim basis and he is set for a consultant role at Old Trafford following this campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui are the candidates in contention to take over the managerial role at Old Trafford ahead of next season. While Rangnick may have presented himself as an option for the permanent job, they still prefer to have someone from the shortlist take over the wheel.
The process of appointing a new boss for Man United is set to be underway in the coming weeks. All the aforementioned candidates fall into the category of what they are looking at, which is coaches who have experience working at major clubs across Europe. It remains to be seen if any of them are open to taking over the role in the summer.
Who’s our next boss?
All four are great options for us to be considering. But since we can only have one man in charge, what we can do is look at who is arguably the best option for us. It is high time that the club looks towards rebuilding the team under the guidance of a world-class coach.
Pochettino does have an advantage over others given his experience of managing in the Premier League. He did a great job at Tottenham Hotspur on a shoestring budget, making them Champions League regulars. He also took them to the Champions League final in 2019, even if they did eventually come up short.
Ten Hag has done wonders at Ajax Amsterdam, turning them into a European heavyweight once again. He famously took a young Ajax side to the semi-finals of the 2019 CL after Pochettino’s Spurs overcame them thanks to a Lucas Moura hattrick. What’s impressive is how he rebuilt them yet again despite teams prising away the best young talents at his disposal.
Enrique is obviously the most prestigious among the bunch for what he achieved at Barcelona. The Spaniard has also re-energized a declining Spanish national team through the introductions of young talents. Enrique certainly has shown that he has what it takes to be a top-class manager.
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Lopetegui is the “unknown” among these four, but that does not mean he is not good. He is currently doing a great job at Sevilla as they compete against Real Madrid for the La Liga title. He was also impressive in his short stint as the manager of Spain, which further emphasises his quality.
Ten Hag would be the best choice looking at the circumstances. The Spanish duo has shown no signs of leaving the project they are building, while questions can be raised about Pochettino’s ability to get the job done. The Eredivisie coach has admitted back in December that he feels ready to move out to another country for a bigger job which paves the way for us to make our case.
