Football
Who will be the new Manchester United manager? These are the three favourites
Manchester United is looking for a new strategist for next season. Ralf Rangnick will move into the role of sports advisor after the end of the current season. The Red Devils management has plenty of time to choose a new, quality and proven coach.
Manchester United is looking for a new strategist for next season. Ralf Rangnick will move into the role of sports advisor after the end of the current season. The Red Devils management has plenty of time to choose a new, quality and proven coach. Which men are considered the best candidates for the manager’s job?
Reaching next door after a six-month search for a new pilot would be tantamount to a disgrace and a sporting and managerial embarrassment. For almost a decade, Old Trafford has been searching for an adequate successor to Sir Alex Ferguson to restore United to their former glory. This time around, the Red Devils management must make the right choice.
Dutch revival
Erik ten Hag prescribes some of the most attractive football for his charges. On the domestic scene he is reaching the expected peak, in European cups he is chasing far bigger clubs. The Dutch strategist may still have a year left on his contract at Ajax Amsterdam, but the time is ripe for a change of venue.
Manchester United would practice attacking and effective football under ten Hagem. It’s just that the club needs a change in philosophy to do so. Otherwise, it won’t succeed. Young, promising and hungry for success, they mean a bright future.
That Hag and Rangnick can form a well-functioning duo that will bring in talented players from Ajax, Red Bull and the club’s academy. However, this will require a big turnover in the squad and, most importantly, time and patience. The Red Devils would not be able to reap the rewards until the end of the second season.
60 %probability of arrival
Benefit to the club: 80%
Reboot in the Isles
Mauricio Pochettino’s wheat is not exactly blooming at Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine coach is not the first to be stung by the owners’ (absurd) ambitions. Winning the Champions League has once again moved into the realm of dreams and club director Leonardo is already on the lookout for another coach who can bring the Eared Cup to the Parc des Princes.
Compared to ten Hague, Pochettino has an advantage – he has coached Southampton and Spurs in the Premier League. It’s just that at both clubs he had the time and the peace of mind to do the job. And he also didn’t work with the biggest stars of the football scene.
Ironically, a stint on the Red Devils bench would be similar to the one in Paris. Ambition and success fulfilled as quickly as possible. As Pochettino works with different types of players, it would take more than two years to return to football’s elite. But that’s not usually how long managers on the Man United bench are given.
Probability of arrival: 30%
Benefit to the club: 30%
(Un)forced departure to a competitor
An interesting alternative to the Red Devils manager has emerged in recent days. The future of Chelsea’s ownership is uncertain and so is the coaching staff. The new owner of the club may stamp a different transfer and sporting philosophy, therefore the paths of Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea may part from the new season.
Tuchel would surely be a guarantee of success, just look at his previous engagements at Stamford Bridge. The German strategist combines the two aforementioned coaches with his methods – he can incorporate young and promising players into an experienced team. As a result, he quickly achieves the purpose of his strategy.
Manchester United would get one of the best coaches adapted to the Premier League in Tuchel, but given Tuchel’s ties to Chelsea and the priorities of the Manchester club, the arrival does not seem realistic.
Probability of arrival: 10%
Benefit to the club: 60%
Source: Manchester Evening News, Transfermarkt