Let us look at the top three candidates who could take Manchester United back to the promised land:
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Manchester United’s current season can be summed up in two words – a major disappointment. A campaign that began with so much promise thanks to an impressive summer transfer window never truly picked up. After spending six years at the club during his first stint, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had made a sensational return to Manchester United from Juventus in the summer of 2021. Prior to that United had already made two big-name signings earlier in the window – Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. But things did not go as planned, resulting in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking and Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as interim manager.
Results have not improved much since Ole’s departure and the Red Devils are out of every cup competition this season. Even a top four finish in the Premier League seems a distant dream at this point. Hence, it is not surprising that rumours of the club looking for a full-time manager to join the team this summer have been doing frequent rounds in recent weeks. Let us look at the top three candidates who could take the club back to the promised land:
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The Spaniard might not be the heavy favourites among bookmakers or fans, but he has achieved more than any of the other candidates. Enrique showed glimpses of his ability while first taking over the role at Celta Vigo. But it was at Barcelona where he attained stardom. In his very first season, Enrique won an incredible treble of La Liga, domestic cup and the mighty Champions League. He was mainly praised for getting the best out of an incredible front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
Later, he joined the Spanish national team and quickly found a way to make the team play his style of football. It was evident with their incredible run in European Championship last year. Not many considered Spain to be favourites, but they shocked the rest of Europe with scintillating football to reach the semifinals. The eventual winners, Italy, defeated them via penalties in a tense last four battle.
His ability to make the team play an attractive brand of football and dominate any opponent on a given day makes him an interesting candidate. However, he might not join United in the summer since the World Cup will happen in November-December of this year, which might complicate his chances of moving to Old Trafford.
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The Argentinian caught the eye of the Premier League with his impressive brand of football with mid-table side Southampton. That made way for him to join Tottenham Hotspur. It was with Spurs, Pochettino became a household name. He turned the London club into a regular top four side and even helped them reach the Champions League final in 2019 before losing it to Liverpool.
Later, he moved to the cash-rich French side Paris Saint-Germain, where he has had a mixed time. He helped them reach the semifinals of the Champions League last season but fell in round-of-16 this time around. They could very well win the current league title, but it might not be enough to convince his critics. He was once a popular choice for the Manchester United top job but now has fallen behind in the pecking order.
He is reportedly the clear favourite to join Manchester United in the summer. While bookmakers place him as the leading candidate for the job, fans have also developed a liking for the Dutchman. That is all because of his impressive achievements with Ajax. Ten Hag has slowly but steadily helped the Dutch club to be a team to fear in Europe.
In their domestic league, they have always been a dominant force, but Ten Hag’s incredible job was noticed when he helped them reach the semifinals in the 2019 Champions League before losing to Tottenham Hotspur. On the way to the last four, Ajax had beaten then defending champions Real Madrid and Juventus in that year’s competition. Despite the fact that some of the team’s key players have left for other European heavyweights, Ten Hag has still managed to keep them playing at the same high level. He has been credited for building two Ajax sides so far in his reign and helped them both dominate their opponents.
His style of play is equally impressive. Be it with the ball possession or pressing the opponents to win the ball back quickly and dominate football matches, Ten Hag’s side has been able to do them all in an efficient manner. It will be interesting to see whether he can replicate the same at Old Trafford if he gets the coveted job this summer.
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