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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Man Utd chiefs 'privately accept' Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fate as new candidate emerges

Former Barcelona and current Spain national team boss Luis Enrique has emerged as a potential new name in the running for the Manchester United job.

As things stand, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains in the Old Trafford hot-seat but it is becoming increasingly clear he has lost the long-term faith of the club's owners as plans are drawn up for his eventual successor.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is currently the preferred candidate in the eyes of those running things at United, but could prove difficult to pry away from the King Power mid-season.

According to the Manchester Evening News, United are now of the belief that a change of manager is required with Solskjaer's job untenable in the wake of humiliating defeats at the hands of both Liverpool and Man City.

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Luis Enrique has been identified by the Man Utd board as a potential replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (REUTERS)

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However, what remains unknown is when exactly United's board plan on swinging their axe and cutting ties with the Norwegian given the upcoming busy fixture list.

One high ranking source has suggested Solskjaer could remain in the job until the end of the current campaign due to the difficulty in appointing a replacement in the middle of the season.

If United's aim is to sack Solskjaer and replace him with Rodgers, it will cost the club a small fortune given the Foxes boss is under contract with Leicester until June 2023.

Solskjaer will also be owed compensation given the former United striker was only handed a three-year contract extension as recently as July of this year.

Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag joins Enrique as an outsider on the shortlist of Solskjaer replacements, but Rodgers remains the favourite for the role.

The former Liverpool and Celtic boss has already inspired his side to one victory over Solskjaer's men this season, beating United at home in a dramatic 4-2 victory that heaped further pressure on the Red Devils manager.

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Since that defeat last month, United have one just one league game coming away at Tottenham Hotspur - coincidentally sparking the end of Nuno Espirito Santo's time in north London.

Amid all the interest and speculation linking him with a move to Man Utd, it would be easy to overlook Leicester enduring a hit and miss start to the season themselves.

The FA Cup holders sit 12th in the table, boasting a record of four wins, three draws and four defeats.

Brendan Rodgers has got the better of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the last three occasions ((Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images))

With that being said, Rodgers has guided the club to successive fifth-placed finishes, coming heartbreakingly close to Champions League qualification last season only to capitulate on the final day.

Solskjaer has broken a number of unwanted records in recent months, but the most damning statistic may be that United have lost 21% of their games at Old Trafford in the Premier League era under the Norwegian.

It is exactly that kind of form that has inspired those above him at the club to begin sounding out replacements.

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