Manchester United's search for their next manager is officially under way.
The club sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday, with Saturday afternoon's 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road proving to be one step too far for the Norwegian. Solskjaer was fortunate to have made it as far as he did, with him lucky to survive the 5-0 hammering to Liverpool and 2-0 reverse to Manchester City.
Now, United, who have placed Michael Carrick in temporary charge, are on the hunt for an interim manager to take charge until the end of this current season, before looking to appoint a permanent manager next summer.
Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, as reported by the Manchester Evening News , is understood to be open to the position and would be willing to quit PSG to take over at Old Trafford mid-season.
Although Pochettino is open to succeeding Solskjaer, speculation and rumours, as expected, are currently rife.
On Monday, MEN Sport's chief United writer, Samuel Luckhurst, hosted a Q&A to try and answer as many questions as possible on where United go next, possible transfer plans and other topics.
It was during the Q&A that the MEN established Pochettino was prepared to take over at United straightaway.
Q: How interested are Manchester United in Erik ten Hag? Would he be first option to takeover at Old Trafford?
SL: "He's admired at United but wouldn't say first choice."
"The interim manager could be anyone from Laurent Blanc to Steve Bruce to Mark Hughes. United's incumbent and previous caretakers were all members of the 2006-07 title-winning squad. Gabriel Heinze's available after he was sacked by Atlanta."
Q: I'd like to know if you're considering [Ralf] Rangnick for our manager? Also Ten Hag next summer. If not, why? I think Rangick-Ten hag route looks so good. What about you ?
SL: "'If I am?' As if I should make the decision? In fairness, I'd do a better job of running the club than the current lot. So would most fans.
"The biggest club Rangnick has coached is Schalke and he seems to be dining off unearthing some talented players once upon a time. I don't understand the fuss. He's at Lokomotiv Moscow for a reason. He sounds like a hipsters' choice, as Manchester Pack leader Neil Custis would say."
Q: Who would be your preferred candidate between Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag? Would be great if you could explain the reason behind your choice as well.
SL: "I'm not totally convinced Pochettino is absolutely the right man but, out of those two, I would go with him. I fully understand why Ten Hag is the fans' favourite and he has done a terrific job at Ajax. That they sold the three blond bombshells and are developing another exciting team is a testament to Ten Hag's coaching credentials and the running of the club by [Edwin] Van der Sar and [Marc] Overmars.
"Parachute Ten Hag in at United and he will not like a lot of what he sees. The football director is not your usual director of football, Fletcher is the most tenuous technical director in the game and decisions are made by absent owners and communicated by chums from the University of Bristol.
"And, beyond the structure, it's United. Ten Hag is coaching Ajax to Dutch titles with a striker who could not hack it at West Ham. United is an unrecognisable environment from Ajax, great club though they are.
"I'd argue Ten Hag would be more suitable for a Premier League club lower down the ladder (Arsenal). And yes, I know Arsenal are currently above United!"
Q: Is the noise coming out that Pochettino could seemingly join United now coming from his side or the club's? And what is your perspective on that information?
"I've written in the past and today about Pochettino's interest in managing United. It's long-standing and hasn't changed. He only accepted PSG's offer because he had been out of work for 13 months and United did not follow through with their initial approach at the start of last season."
Q: I wanted to ask what the situation is with Ten Hag. Yesterday, he was asked about the job and didn’t rule out a move away, so is it possible to get him before the end of the season or not?
SL: "It's possible but, as already stated, United have indicated a permanent appointment will be made in the summer. That's the most important part of their plan."
Q: "Do you think United can lure Ten Hag to the club with the promise of signing a CDM (like Declan Rice) and a ball playing CB (say Tyrone Mings) in the winter window? Is he looking for signings and financial backing or something else preventing him from jumping mid-season?
SL: "Is Tyrone Mings a joke? And do you genuinely believe Declan Rice, contract expiring in 2024 and playing for a club above United in the table, could leave in January? Fairytales are more realistic.
"Talking transfers is moot. United have invested an eye-watering amount on the current squad and are planning to have an interim manager in charge for January, so spending seems unlikely.
"They already have a good squad. They just need a good manager."
Q: What is the rationale behind Brendan Rodgers being a "favourite" among certain members of the board? What do they base this on, apart from his ultimate failure to win the title in 2014, or some nostalgic notions about "homegrown" managers?
SL: "Rodgers has done an excellent job at Leicester. Two top-five finishes, missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day, winning the FA Cup. That is an impressive body of work.
"He has managed egos (Gerrard and Suarez) and big clubs (Liverpool and Celtic), has developed excellent young players and is mining Leicester's academy. He ticks all of the boxes. His nationality is not as important to the United board as compliance, and Rodgers rarely rocks the boat.
"There are caveats, of course. Liverpool slipped up in the 2013-14 run-in and Leicester bottled Champions League qualification two years running. Their current form is not good and that's why Rodgers is still Leicester manager."
Q: How realistic is it for Carrick to remain interim for the rest of the season, especially if he manages to get a few good results in the upcoming games i.e, secure Champions League with a win against Villarreal and get a result vs Chelsea? Or is the board's current priority is chasing an interim and then seeing the options for a permanent manager in the summer?
SL: "There's every chance of it happening. 'Forthcoming games' is a very vague phrase United used. There's no timeframe on how long Carrick is interim manager and, of course, if there is somehow a bounce period with the same set of coaches (!) then the hierarchy will probably stick with them.
"Regardless of this week's results, it already feels like United are prepared to toss off the rest of the season. The Ronaldo factor is key here, in that he (and his agent) can exert pressure on the board for change and the board will yield to him. As they did with Solskjaer."
Q: Is there a chance of Manchester United hiring Pochettino or Ten Hag this season, or do we have a chance of getting a permanent coach this season?
SL: "Read United's statement yesterday. They've outlined their plan. It's a bizarre plan that not many fans can get behind. They could have four managers in charge within a six-month period. United clearly do not feel this is the right time to make a permanent appointment and there is some truth to that.
"It would have been easier if they had a succession plan in place but they didn't. The statement was additional confirmation of that. That's probably the biggest scandal of all: one of the biggest football clubs in the world did not have a plan in place in the event Solskjaer started to struggle. City have a succession plan in place for when [Pep] Guardiola goes.
"That Pochettino wants the job now could alter their plans."
Q: I was just wondering re: Mauricio Pochettino, and how possible/likely appointing him in the next few weeks could be? Of course there's the [Zinedine] Zidane factor, but would he really want to leave mid-season when he's essentially guaranteed his first league title of his career? Would he really jump ship mid-season?
United need a manager now rather than writing off the season with a complete unavailability of interim managers (and given our history of giving them the job!) - [Laurent] Blanc is a no for me, I doubt [Ralf] Ragnick wants it. What exactly is the plan here?
SL: "There are steep hurdles to bringing Pochettino in mid-season and one doubts whether United are capable of doing it. They have already set out their stall by looking to recruit an interim manager, so it would be a drastic gear shift to approach PSG directly.
"They have paid off Solskjaer with £7.75million and Pochettino would be expensive as he is contracted to PSG for another 18 months. United are, for all the money they have squandered, still quite a parsimonious club under the Glazers' ownership. And that's without considering PSG's view: would they let Pochettino just go mid-season? I find that hard to believe, irrespective of the issues he is encountering there.
"As for 'the Zidane factor', people need to read the room: he is an available manager and United have said they are not appointing a permanent manager for another six months, at least. That effectively rules him out. The speculation surrounding Zidane over the last week or so has been baseless as well, from what I gather.
"Ralf Rangnick... look at his CV. Look at his age. Look at the clubs he has coached. He is not a credible permanent option. And he's probably too big a 'name' to do it on a temporary basis.
"Blanc has caretaker manager written all over him and hasn't coached at an elite level since 2016 but still has the clout to 'do a Solskjaer'. If he was parachuted in, he would be asked if he wanted the job permanently and he would probably say 'yes'. And so we would have a Gallic equivalent of the Solskjaer situation developing in 2018-19.
"The key context with Pochettino is it has been established he wants to take over now."
Q: With [Mike] Phelan recently signing a new deal, could a new manager's willingness to retain some of the coaching staff for financial reasons have an effect on the hiring process?
SL: "That's an interesting question, because if a coach indicates they are prepared to save United money in compensation fees then that would appeal to them.
"Not all of them can survive. Heads had to roll yet Solskjaer was the only one summoned to the guillotine. I spoke to a manager this morning and he is amazed Solskjaer was the only coaching departure.
"I honestly do not know what Mike Phelan does."
Q: Which players in the current squad are potentially better with a more experienced coach and which are simply never going to be good enough for United?
SL: "That's two long(ish) lists. I'll offer up some names but not all of them.
"Better under new manager: [Donny] Van de Beek, Fred, [Jadon] Sancho, [Alex] Telles.
"Not up to it: [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka and [Victor] Lindelof."
Q: Last time around, I asked was it a matter of when. Now that the inevitable has happened, do you think its a two-way race between Poch and Ten Hag long-term. And do you think the club will go for the likes of Steve Bruce for interim, as reported by a couple?
SL: "Not two-way, no. Rodgers is still in the conversation and there was some contact over the last month. Unfortunately for Rodgers, Leicester are having their worst run under him since he took over.
"I'm not sure even United are incompetent enough to go for Steve Bruce. That said, Rafael Benitez was a loathed interim manager at Chelsea and they still won something."
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