Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Fabian Hurzeler are Man Utd options
Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Fabian Hurzeler are Man Utd options
Manchester United have picked up only seven points from their first eight games of the Premier League season.
Defeat to Hull has been followed by victory over Ipswich Town, a dispiriting draw with Everton; an even more dispiriting defeat to Manchester City, then a ‘pathetic’ draw at Fulham. And then a predictable draw in El Sackico. And another draw at Leeds United. And then came hefty defeat v Bournemouth.
And they have also thrown away a 2-0 lead over Brighton to exit the Carabao Cup and lost to Atletico Madrid and Como in the Champions League.
Michael Carrick has been granted a stay of execution but, to continue the cliches, still appears to be on borrowed time.
So who comes next? According to the bookies, these are the 10 favourites…
8=) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Surely even Manchester United would not go from Ole II back to Ole I?
8=) Carlo Ancelotti Ancelotti is one of the few men with the necessary experience, nous and temperament to really lead United.
But he already has a job with Brazil and a contract for four more years. If there were doubts over his future in the wake of the World Cup, turning down the Italy job to continue with Brazil surely put them to bed.
And why would he leave a job he seems happy in to join the United circus.
8=) Mauricio Pochettino
It’s the link that refuses to go away, but now it’s 33/1 rather than Evens.
Poch seemed a short-term appointment to get United States through the World Cup they hosted, a notion illustrated by the fact he still based himself in Europe. But since signing an extension to take him to the 2030 World Cup, he has intimated that he would relocate to the USA.
If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now.
8=) Thomas Tuchel Tuchel retains the faith of the FA but he has a job on to win back the trust of the England fans after the meek manner of their World Cup exit.
A 7-0 win over Croatia means that there’s no real appetite to oust Tuchel from the England job just yet. And the German feels he has something to prove with the Three Lions. The threat to his position with the FA has almost certainly shifted, which makes him unattainable for United right now.
6=) Sir Gareth Southgate Sir Gareth has been linked with the United job for so long now, it’s only habit that keeps him in these lists.
Southgate probably won’t ever return to management; he seems to be enjoying the corporate lifestyle, and delivering speeches to the LinkedIn lot sure is easier than dealing with the hassle of one of the few jobs as impossible as his old one.
6=) Cesc Fabregas
There were noises even before Como destroyed Manchester United; now United have had a close look of the Premier League midfielder turned manager they could have if they prioritised nous over knowing the club.
But as one of Europe’s hottest up-and-coming managers, why the actual f*** would Fabregas accept an offer from United? If he leaves Como, a club he helped to build, it won’t be for Carrington. More likely: Barcelona or another European giant with its sh*t together.
5) Kieran McKenna McKenna is as high as he is purely on the basis of having worked at Old Trafford before as a coach under Solskjaer. And he didn’t inspire many then.
Getting Ipswich promoted is certainly commendable, but no qualification for the United job. That said, McKenna feels like a very INEOS appointment – one so grateful for the opportunity that he wouldn’t dare rock the boat.
4) Unai Emery
If Manchester United had their pick of any Premier League manager, they would probably choose Emery. He has done nothing short of a phenomenal job at Villa, consistently taking them into the upper reaches of the Premier League while ending their longish wait for a trophy.
But he would be expensive to get out of Villa and United tend to stop when they meet any resistance when it comes to recruiting, even if Emery, among the Prem bosses, best fits the profile they need.
And there are whispers that he is being lined up for the Atletico job when Diego Simeone finally walks away.
3) Antonio Conte
The ruthless winner option. And he has already been making noises about being interested in the Manchester United job should it become available.
He is probably the opposite to Eddie Howe; he will rock the boat. Frankly, we would love it.
But can you imagine Wilcox hiring a manager who, in a good mood, would challenge him, and in a bad one, might very well kill him?
Conte, sadly, is just too messy and ‘abrasive’ for United. Which is a shame, because it would be great fun and, probably, just what some of their cosy players need. Even if they don’t realise it.
2) Julian Nagelsmann The ex-Germany coach was fired after underachieving at the World Cup but there was more to that than just poor coaching.
The feeling with Nagelsmann was that he was always looking to get back into the club game and he’ll be ready and refreshed after a few months away.
We can absolutely see it happening. Because Nagelsmann’s profile seems to sit squarely between Conte’s and Howe’s.
1) Eddie Howe The ex-Newcastle boss has been perfectly primed for one of the big boys – almost inevitably United or Spurs – panic after an underachieving start to the season.
Howe seems very much up INEOS’s street, with a proven record of getting the best out of players while being inoffensive enough to rarely, if ever, rock the boat.
Howe is said to be predictably keen, but is he the man for what is becoming an increasingly-impossible job?
We have our reservations. But Howe has a lot of qualities Wilcox will appreciate.