Mauricio Pochettino and Erik Ten Hag have emerged as Manchester United’s first choice managerial targets, following the news of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure on Sunday morning.
The Old Trafford outfit have acted swiftly following Saturday’s shambolic 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road, with the Norwegian’s time at the helm now at an end almost three years on from when initially took the job on an interim basis in December 2018.
Despite the continued backing of the club amid a disastrous run of form, the loss to Claudio Ranieri’s struggling side ultimately proved to be the final straw, as Manchester United slipped to a fourth defeat in their last five league games.
The Red Devils are now 12 points behind leaders Chelsea and six points behind fourth-placed West Ham United, while morale is now seemingly at an all-time low after one win in seven in the league in a run that includes two gruelling home defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City.
While the club have confirmed that Michael Carrick will take temporary charge for at least Tuesday’s clash with Villarreal, before an interim appointment is made until the end of the season, the focus has turned to who will be the long-term successor to Solskjaer.
As per Sky Sports, Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino and Ajax manager Ten Hag are the frontrunners for the permanent job in the summer, albeit with the former Tottenham Hotspur man believed to be the first choice.
The Argentine is seemingly admired by those at United and was tipped to replace Jose Mourinho prior to Solskjaer’s arrival, before the Norwegian’s fine start to life in the hot seat saw him handed the reigns permanently.
The report suggests that the Red Devils believe they will have to wait until the end of the season to have a chance of bringing in either man, hence the hunt for an interim appointment to see out the campaign.
Sky also said earlier in the day that Cristiano Ronaldo was keen for Luis Enrique to get the job, though the Spain boss laughed off such suggestions, asking if it was April Fools day when questioned about the reports.
