Man Utd fans wanting Rangnick out will not be happy with the man tipped to be in charge for 2022/23
- Paul Okey
- 4 January 2022
No shortage of high-profile candidates to take over at Old Trafford including Zidane and Pochettino but it is the interim manager who is still fancied to be in the dugout when next season kicks off.
Manchester United suffered their first home defeat to Wolves since 1980 on Monday night, with Joao Moutinho’s 82nd-minute strike settling the Premier League fixture.
Despite it being the first loss under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, the manner of the reverse is what most infuriated fans, with United outplayed at Old Trafford by a Wolves side who started the day down in ninth.
It followed a number of unconvincing displays from United, who have not benefited from a new manager bounce following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The frustrations of the support are exacerbated by a look at what has happened at Tottenham since the appointment of Antonio Conte. Believed to have been the number one target had United dispensed with Solskjaer earlier in the campaign, Conte has transformed Spurs. The north London club are undefeated in eight and sit just two points off fourth with two games in hand. They are also just two games from the first major final of the season.
However, the one chink of light for United is that Rangnick is only in the role on a temporary basis.
And having rushed into turning Solskjaer from an interim to a permanent manager, you’d like to think the club hierarchy wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
So, here are the current contenders to be leading United into the first game of the 2022/23 campaign.
Ralf Rangnick
Mauricio Pochettino
Forever linked with the United role, the Argentine was favourite to take over when Jose Mourinho was given the heave-ho at Old Trafford.
Instead, Pochettino remained at Tottenham and was eventually sacked in 2020, with, ironically, Mourinho replacing him.
At present, the 49-year-old is managing the PSG Globetrotters and has the pleasure of managing Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on a daily basis.
A switch to Manchester United would allow him to have more of a say in recruitment but he would still be working under Rangnick. Whether he can be persuaded that relationship will work will be the key to luring him away from Paris.
Brendan Rodgers
Since been appointed in 2019, Rodgers has established the Foxes as one of the best teams in the Premier League and reignited the conversation about which clubs actually form the so-called 'top six'.
Last season he guided Leicester to their first-ever FA Cup following a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley. He also won the Community Shield with a win over Manchester City at the start of the current campaign.
Results have been distinctly mixed since with Leicester languishing in tenth but a recent 1-0 win over Liverpool served notice of what Rodgers can achieve with limited resources. Imagine what he could do with the financial backing and pulling power of United.
Erik ten Hag
During his spell as Ajax boss, Erik ten Hag won two Eredivisie titles and guided them to the Champions League semi-final in 2019.
The move would certainly be welcomed by Donny van de Beek who was a Ballon d'Or nominee under Ten Hag's tutorship at Ajax. But maybe not Cristiano Ronaldo having seen his defending against Wolves.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane has been heavily linked with the Man United job since leaving Real Madrid.
During his reign at Los Blancos - across two separate spells - Zidane won three Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles. The Frenchman has been linked with multiple jobs, including Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and France.
But with former Madrid players Ronaldo and Raphael Varane at the club, it may be a tempter.
Didier Deschamps
There has been a surge of interest in Deschamps despite him being contracted to take charge of France in Qatar at the end of the year.
