Manchester United is without a permanent head coach after the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and it’s unclear who the club can turn to at this juncture of the season. And it’s only November.
The club has given itself until the summer to name a permanent replacement, announcing that it is looking for an interim to take over until the end of the season. Presumably, Man United has an internal list of candidates for next summer.
Meanwhile, names like ex-Newcastle boss Steve Bruce and former France national team coach Laurent Blanc, both former United players, are two that have surfaced for the interim role with the former seemingly a more likely option.
As for the permanent job, the summer presents a few options, though according to some reports, the timeline could move up in the case of one or two of the bigger names.
Here are the latest odds and updates on the most talked-about candidates.
Zinedine Zidane
Even when Solksjaer was still on the job, reports indicated that the managerial free agent and former Real Madrid head coach was not interested. His legendary playing career gives him instant credibility and he has coached Cristiano Ronaldo in the past, getting the most out of a star-studded Madrid side. The feeling is that he could do the same for United.
But even though there are reports that he’s working on his English, it seems Zidane has his eyes on other jobs. However, he could be an important domino in the pursuit of a manager who seems more appealing.
Mauricio Pochettino
There’s no doubt who the media’s favorite is for the permanent Man United job based on the slew of reports in England. The narrative amid the speculation has quickly escalated from “Man United is interested” to “Pochettino wants the job and could move in December.”
But there is one plausible scenario in which Pochettino could depart early: While PSG looks well on its way to winning the French Ligue 1 title — it has an 11-point lead in the Ligue 1 standings after 14 matches — it’s the Champions League that matters.
A shocking failure to get out of the group stage could see the club make a managerial change during the winter break in December. And Frenchman Zidane would be tailor-made to replace Pochettino.