Opinion
Manchester United’s back-to-back comprehensive home defeats at the hands of their fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have put pressure on the manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in spite of signing a new three-year deal just over three months ago.
The air of positivity around Old Trafford early in the season has now evaporated. Big signings in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, and Jadon Sancho were brought in to help this team reach the next level, build on last season’s progress, and finally mount a proper title challenge.
However, since the beginning of the season, Solskjaer’s side has constantly turned in dire performances.
(Photo by Simon Stacpoole /Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
With four defeats in their last six league games, United is sixth in the table, nine points off Chelsea at the top. This run of poor form has caused unrest among the Man United fans, calling for a managerial change.
Even though Solskjaer’s job looks to be secure for now, there is a growing belief that the Norwegian has reached his ceiling with this team and that he will never be able to challenge the likes of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, and Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel.
The United board has always been supportive of Solskjaer but murmurs from around the club suggest that they are ready to move on. It is believed that there is a reluctance to change mid-season as there will be better candidates in the summer. Nevertheless, if results do not improve after the international break, the board will have to pull the trigger.
Let’s have a look at some of the candidates who could replace Solskjaer.
Brendan Rodgers
The Leicester boss is rumored to be the front runner for the job. He has a clause in his contract with the Foxes that allows him to leave if a Champions League club comes calling, which makes landing him mid-season a possibility.
Rodgers’ history as a Liverpool manager makes it tricky for United fans to accept him. He had a three-year stint at Anfield where he nearly won the Premier League in 2014 and was sacked later in 2015 with the team lingering midtable.
Since then, the Northern Irishman has proven himself as a capable manager whose teams have a clear vision and play good football. He spent three successful seasons at Scotland with Celtic where he won seven domestic trophies before returning to the big stage of the Premier League.
(Photo by Jon Bromley/ MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
At Leicester, Rodgers managed to finish in the top six in his two seasons at the helm and won the FA Cup last season.
Even though Rodgers would be an upgrade on Solskjaer in terms of tactics, structure, and style of play, there are concerns among some fans over his ability to take this next step and challenge the big boys consistently.
Many cite his Liverpool side’s capitulation in 2014 to lose the title in dramatic fashion as an example of how he failed to get a result when it mattered most. Similarly, failing twice to secure Champions League football on the last day of the campaign – with their fate in their own hands – is used against him.
Rodgers is a viable option and would improve this team, yet his ties with Liverpool will be the main obstacle to him getting this job.
Zinedine Zidane
He is a proven winner with three Champions League trophies along with two La Liga titles to his name. Out of all possible candidates, he’s the only free agent as he stepped down from his post at Real Madrid at the end of last season.
Zidane has managed to lead his Real Madrid team to great success while managing a dressing room full of stars and big egos. He might not be the most tactical coach out there, but he has demonstrated good man-management skills and the ability to utilise the tools at his disposal to great effect.
(Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
The language barrier and being unfamiliar with the league might be minor issues, however, United’s dressing room has enough French and Spanish speakers to help with his transition.
The Frenchman is arguably the one name that United fans would not disagree on. Nevertheless, the likelihood of hiring him now or in the summer looks very slim.
Various reports indicate that Zidane is not interested in any jobs this season as he has his eyes set on replacing Didier Deschamps as the French national team head coach after the 2022 World Cup. If that’s the case, then United fans’ dream of re-uniting Zidane with Ronaldo and Varane will have to wait.
Mauricio Pochettino
He is a long-term target of the club. Prior to Solskjaer getting the job on a permanent basis in 2018, Pochettino was most United fans’ first choice. He is currently managing a super team in Paris Saint Germain (PSG), so barring a disaster, it would be impossible to snatch him away at this stage of the season.
Pochettino’s great work at Tottenham is believed to have impressed senior figures at Old Trafford. With limited resources, he managed to get Spurs in the top four consistently and reached a Champions League final, all while playing a fast-paced, high pressing, attacking brand of football. Moreover, his focus on developing young academy players was admirable and aligns with United’s DNA.
Mauricio Pochettino speaks to Neymar. (Photo by John Berry/Getty Images)
The Argentine’s critics usually point to the lack of silverware on his resume as the only trophy he has ever won as a manager was a French cup last season. Also, his current stint with PSG is not going smoothly. He is struggling to enforce his high pressing, high-energy football on the star-studded squad at his disposal and his team looked disjointed at times.
In theory, Pochettino’s vision and methods make him a suitable candidate for United. If he is viewed as a long-term option, then the club’s decision-makers might be better off with an interim manager for the rest of this season until they land their man in the summer.
Erik Ten Hag
He is a fast-emerging young manager who is viewed by many United fans as the one to take the club forward. Ten Hag is having a very successful season at Ajax so far and is unlikely to leave the club mid-season.
Ten Hag has led a young Ajax side to the Champions League semi-final in 2019, knocking out European giants such as Real Madrid and Juventus along the way. Despite losing most of his star players after that run, the Dutchman has built another young team that is arguably producing the best football in the Champions League this season.
(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
What’s impressive about Ten Hag’s career so far is that his teams produce the same free-flowing attacking football regardless of the personnel. His teams are very well drilled, and his system allows players to maximise their potential. The former Bayern Munich youth team coach would fit the attacking style demanded of a United manager.
The concern around Ten Hag is that his achievements are in the Dutch league where the quality does not match the other big leagues in the continent. Although adapting to the Premier League might take time, the fact that the Dutchman has been equally good in the Champions League suggests that he has the necessary talent to manage at the highest level.
Luis Enrique
The Spain national coach is another with proven experience at turning a group of talented players into a well-oiled machine. Managing a national team, it should not be hard to get him at this stage of the season if the right offer is on the table.
Enrique won a treble in his first season at Barcelona, then added another La Liga title in his second. He managed to get Barca to play their best football in the post-Guardiola era.
Many put that down to having a forward line of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez. Nonetheless, Barcelona’s struggles after him along with his recent excellent work with Spain have proved this narrative to be false.
(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Enrique has been tasked with a tough job in rebuilding a Spain squad after a decade of unprecedented success that saw the nation win two Euros and one World Cup.
Under his leadership, a young Spain team reached Euro 2020 semi-final when they lost to Italy on penalties. Despite the loss, Enrique’s side was the only side throughout the tournament to outplay the eventual winners.
Fluent in English, the Spaniard has never hidden his desire to one day manage in the Premier League. Enrique’s name does not appear to be high on United’s list and it’s unclear whether he would take the job before the 2022 World Cup.
Still, there are not many coaches available who are as qualified and talented as Enrique, and United would be wise to at least explore the opportunity.
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