Manchester United have confirmed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim manager at Old Trafford.
With Solskjaer in place until the end of the season, the club are looking to restructure with a technical director of football and a new permanent boss in the summer.
Who do they want and what do they want for the long term?
United's wishlist is for someone who can:
- Get the most out of United's big-money signings and create an identifiable style.
- Develop young players.
- Understand the philosophy, culture and core values of the club including its attacking traditions.
- Create a positive environment with players and staff.
- Work within a new structure, including reporting to a technical director of football.
Mauricio Pochettino
He will be top of the list. His Tottenham side play attractive football, and he has spent very little in comparison to his Premier League rivals.Spurs are largely built around players he didn't sign, but Pochettino has a reputation for extracting the maximum out of the squad he has and has been credited with developing several young English players at the core of Gareth Southgate's vibrant, exciting national side.
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| Jose Mourinho |
Real Madrid were also interested in him last summer and, though they have Santiago Solari in place until 2021, those rumours persist. So could it be a heavyweight clash between Real and United for the services of the highly rated Argentine?
Pochettino only signed a new five-year contract at Spurs last summer and still appears to be on an upward curve at a club set to make a delayed move into a new stadium. If he could be prised out of Levy's clutches, expect any club to pay at least £20m to release him from that deal.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pochettino simply sent his "best wishes" to Mourinho. Asked about being a "perfect fit" for United, he replied: "A lot of rumours that happen in my position at Tottenham - I cannot answer that type of question. I am focused on doing the best I can here." BBC News
