Manchester United looking for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replacement at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick has not been given a schedule by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and it is uncertain when he will be asked to take over as manager following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Arsenal are four days away from visiting Old Trafford on December 2 and by then there will certainly be some clarity around what, at least to outsiders, presents a rather disconcerting picture. tangled.

BBC Sport analyzes the factors United’s hierarchy is struggling with as it finally looks to appoint a manager who can bring success to the club.

Why does Manchester United want an interim boss?

In a statement confirming Solskjaer’s departure, United said they were looking to appoint an “interim coach” until the end of the season.

Words suggest United accept their preferred options may not be available until the summer as they have gone to work and don’t believe Carrick, who has never been a coach, is a viable option. hold position for the remainder of the campaign.

However, the strategy looks complicated and means the club will appoint a manager on the basis that they will leave within as little as six months once they have found a better one.

Only realists, or older managers who may not be looking for a permanent job, are likely to find that prospect appealing.

Steve Bruce has been mentioned but, despite being a former United captain, his final months as Newcastle manager are unlikely to inspire optimism among fans – and United have many Time and motivation to turn this season around.

Some might wonder if Sir Alex Ferguson, with more lineage than anyone in the game, could be a luxury gap – but the reality is that the Scot is now 79 years old.

Names already mentioned for the role – former United defender Laurent Blanc and seasoned coach Ralf Rangnick – have jobs.

Blanc is Al Rayyan’s manager in Qatar, where the season continues until March. Rangnick is the technical director of Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, who admitted to taking a 10-week winter break since mid-December.

Lucien Favre has been out of work since being sacked by Borussia Dortmund in 2020. The 64-year-old has had ties to multiple Premier League jobs and was close to landing the Crystal Palace job last summer. when refused.

Who makes the decision?

Amid the fallout from the collapse of the European Super League, United’s executive vice-chairman Woodward has said he will step down at the end of the year.

At the time, many felt that meant summer. But Woodward remains at the helm and while it is highly unlikely he will sever ties with United completely when he does eventually step aside, it is likely to create uncertainty around the negotiation.

United say Woodward is continuing his work and that they have others, negotiator Matt Judge to start, who do some work around recruiting.

But for now, Woodward and his likely replacement, chief executive Richard Arnold, are both involved and are understood to have been on call with co-chairman Joel Glazer on Saturday night dealing with the matter Solskjaer must going after the defeat against Watford.

Woodward was the one who personally brought the bad news to Solskjaer and also asked for Carrick to act temporarily.

Do United want Pochettino?

While those at Old Trafford defended their intention to use an interim coach until the summer, they admit that if someone in their mind were to take over permanently, they would be looking for him now. .

It is known that the former coach of Tottenham Mauricio Pochettino opens the door with the idea of ​​joining Manchester United. It is also felt that Pochettino could be signed now if United push for him as he is unhappy about the structure around him at Paris St-Germain.

United officials have spoken of bright terms surrounding the Argentinian before and know what a stellar job he has done at Tottenham, certainly up to the 2019 Champions League final.

So will United make a move?

It’s not always clear what lies behind the club’s big decisions. Antonio Conte, who left Inter Milan last summer after winning Serie A, is unemployed and ready on the day United suffer a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool on October 24 that many believe. Solskjaer should have been fired.

They kept Solskjaer instead and in the meantime Conte has joined Tottenham.

The feeling that Conte would be too difficult to manage and the scars from the conflict that spanned the latter part of Jose Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford remain.

However, hardly any senior manager is easy to deal with. Ferguson not, Pep Guardiola not, Pochettino probably neither.

Pochettino feels he will have more power in recruiting players at United than he does in Paris. Is United’s hierarchy ready to offer that to someone who has yet to win a title in England and is in charge as PSG fail to win Ligue 1 for the second time in nine years?

However, there are many people, inside and outside Old Trafford, who feel Pochettino would be the perfect fit – now or in the summer. But no date comes without risk and there are certainly some people attached to the famous 49-year-old.

Who else in the frame?

If there is a risk with Pochettino, they are even bigger with some of the other candidates.

Brendan Rodgers has excelled at Leicester for two seasons, finishing fifth in a row and winning the FA Cup last season.

But the term is another story. Their win over United on October 16 was one of only four in 15 matches in all competitions.

They were booed at half-time in Saturday’s home defeat to Chelsea, are in the bottom half of the table and need to beat Legia Warsaw in the Europa League on Thursday if they are to retain their chance of reaching the knockout stages. next.

Add in Rodgers’ Liverpool connection and it’s perhaps no surprise that so many fans have doubts about him.

At Ajax, Erik Ten Hag built an impressive reputation, leading the club to the semi-finals of the 2019 Champions League, where they were certain to reach the final before Tottenham’s stunning comeback in Amsterdam.

He has managed to do this despite losing a lot of class players – including midfielder Donny van de Beek, who was frequently used by Solskjaer.

But the gap between the Eredivisie and the Premier League is huge. And Frank de Boer’s bad spell at Crystal Palace may not help his career as United are pondering what a Dutch manager can bring.

Zinedine Zidane is now available but has no interest in the job. Luis Enrique is unlikely to welcome any distraction to his World Cup preparations with Spain – and he won’t be working with them until the end of next year, unless he decides planning to quit, which is not expected.

‘Shame… it’s like Stenhousemuir’ – experts’ reaction

Former Celtic, Blackburn and Chelsea striker Chris Sutton says United’s desire to appoint a caretaker manager is “shameful”, comparing their strategy to that of Scottish League side Stenhousemuir.

Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club. “They’ll have another probationer. That’s what Stenhousemuir does. If they pass the test, they’ll give him a contract.

“It’s embarrassing.

“This is the club that claims to be the biggest in the world and they have no backup. It’s absolute panic.”

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards described the situation as “appalling”.

“We’re talking about Manchester United here,” said Richards. “They don’t operate like the biggest club in the world.

“Ole deserves a lot of flak but the board also deserves flak. How can this happen?

“They have someone [Carrick] No experience in leadership positions. It goes from bad to ridiculous. “

What is next?

As Carrick said, the focus is on Villarreal in the Champions League, where United must avoid defeat if they want to keep their place in the knockout round.

Then there’s Chelsea, a game that United fans will approach with trepidation at the heavy punishment inflicted on them by three other top teams, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Behind the scenes, the hiring process continues. Club insiders are adamant that they are working on a plan, even if, on the surface, it’s not entirely clear what it is.