Manchester United have limited managerial candidates should a decision be made to part with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Red Devils ‘wary’ over a potential pursuit of Antonio Conte.
Solskjaer’s position has come under huge pressure in the wake of Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool, a disastrous home performance extending the club’s winless run in the Premier League to four games.
United have conceded 11 goals across their past three fixtures in all competitions and Solskjaer is believed to have lost the trust of sections of the dressing room, leading to speculation the Norwegian could be replaced.
However, a lack of clear candidates to succeed Solskjaer has strengthened the under-fire manager’s position, with the club’s hierarchy holding reservations over perhaps the most obvious and available name, Antonio Conte.
Conte has won league titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan in a glittering managerial career, but the Telegraph are reporting that there are concerns over the Italian’s style with the club keen to avoid a repeat of Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford.
Mauricio Pochettino has been a long-term target but is current contracted to Paris Saint-Germain, whilst Brendan Rodgers has a release clause in excess of £14m in his deal at Leicester, and is thought to be keen on the Man City job when Pep Guardiola eventually steps down.
Zinedine Zidane is understood to be in no rush to return to management after leaving Real Madrid in May, whilst the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann have recently taken positions at Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively.