Jose Mourinho's rein as Manchester United manager came to an abrupt end on Tuesday morning and the club have announced a caretaker manager will be hired for the remainder of the season. Michael Carrick and Nicky Butt have already been ruled out, with an external acquisition expected, while BBC Sport reports that initial favourite Laurent Blanc is unlikely to be approached.
Man Utd might be out of the race for a top four finish in the Premier League but they still have a Champions League second round tie coming up in February against Paris Saint-Germain; it is important the board get the next move right, or else United will face a painfully meaningless second half of the campaign.
Here are five contenders to land the job on a permanent basis for the start of the 2019/20 season.
The Dream Option – Mauricio Pochettino
It is no secret that Man Utd are interested in hiring the Tottenham Hotspur manager, who refused to comment on speculation during a routine press conference on Tuesday. However, there are numerous stumbling blocks in the way, namely that Daniel Levy is a very tough negotiator and United, by comparison, are inexperienced. It will cost the club a huge sum of money to prise Pochettino away from north London – and that's assuming he sees it as a stable club and sensible career move.
Pochettino can expect to be given time at Old Trafford (both Mourinho and Louis van Gaal were kept on for longer than many anticipated) but the unfolding catastrophe ever since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement suggests something is rotten at the club. Pochettino will certainly show great caution during any negotiations and will expect serious backing in the transfer window. Much will depend upon who United appoint as Director of Football; it is a long overdue change that should put an end to the sort of fractious communications that underscored Mourinho's relationship with Ed Woodward.
If they get their man with the appropriate Director in place, United and Pochettino is an excellent match. The Argentine's attacking football and superb tactical coaching would make a welcome change at Old Trafford. He would certainly bring the fun back to the club, as well as modernise their tactics, give youth players a chance, and spend more wisely than Mourinho. Pochettino could hardly have done a better job at Spurs, making him the dream choice for a club of United's stature and resources.
The Easy Option – Zinedine Zidane
Should Levy refuse to let Pochettino leave, or should the Spurs manager turn the role down, then United can rely on Zinedine Zidane as a backup option. Available for free since resigning as Real Madrid manager in the summer, the three-time Champions League winning manager has experience of coping with a club as complex and unique as Manchester United.
Like United, Real have a complicated hierarchy that can limit transfer spending and cause friction at the top. Like United, Real's squad is full of egotistical players who haven't always coped well with the weight of the club's famous shirt. Zidane, then, has the sort of quiet charisma to get the United players' respect.
His Real Madrid team was defined by an individualism and simple tactics, relying on superstar moments to win big matches. United certainly have the squad to do something similar – Paul Pogba would surely excel - but then again the Premier League is a far more ruthless division than La Liga. There are too many big matches (ten against the fellow 'big six') for a manager without detailed tactical instructions to succeed.
Zidane is certainly an easy option for Man Utd, but whether he is considered a suitable candidate depends on United's priorities: do they want a big personality, or a tactician?
The Pragmatic Option – Antonio Conte
The former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte would be a natural successor to Mourinho, largely because he's done it before, taking over in 2016 after Chelsea had collapsed the previous season and promptly winning the Premier League title. His experience in England, ruthless managerial style, and fastidiousness on the training field offer exactly the kind of pragmatic skills United need to work their way out of their current predicament.
Conte is famously demanding as a coach, expecting the sort of work rate that Mourinho was unable to inspire; does this mean the squad need a softer touch, or should they double down by bringing in the Italian? Certainly Conte's tactics are more modern than the outgoing manager, although Conte will not offer the sort of expansive attacking football the Man Utd fans want to see. His 3-4-2-1 formation is based on defensive resilience and ruthless counter-attacks.
The United hierarchy are far more interested in results, and therefore money, than the style of football, which is why Conte is a realistic (not to mention cheap) option. He gets results.
The Romantic Option – Ryan Giggs / Michael Carrick
A rank outsider for the role, Giggs would surely jump at the chance to ditch Wales for Man Utd, a role he took as caretaker after David Moyes' dismissal in 2014. He recorded two wins, a draw, and a defeat, breaking down in tears after the last day of the season through stress. He is highly unlikely to get an offer.
However, many United fans are keen for the club to promote from within and appoint someone who learnt the trade under Ferguson, which makes sense to a certain extent. With Carrick and Butt alongside him, the former United winger could possibly galvanise the players in the short term… but they need detailed coaching after the Mourinho debacle, and there's no way Giggs can offer that.
The Caretaker Option – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Former United striker and Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is being seriously considered for the caretaker role, per Simon Stone for BBC Sport, which makes him the current bookies' favourite to succeed Mourinho for the time being.
Solskjaer's current club, Molde, are in the off-season and do not start again until March, which potentially means he is able to temporarily leave his post for an opportunity at Old Trafford – although the Norwegian club could be resistant to losing their coach for pre-season. Solskjaer may have to leave his job for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
United fans would certainly be happy to see a club legend in charge, and yet Solskjaer's managerial career is patchy. He won two league titles with Molde before moving to Cardiff, where he was relegated from the Premier League and left the club 17th in the Championship. His track record suggests Solskjaer would not be able to fend off Pochettino, Zidane, or Conte beyond the current season – unless, that is, he somehow won the Champions League.
