Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the 4-1 defeat to Watford over the weekend. They held a virtual meeting where it was decided the Norwegian’s time at the club was over.
Former midfielder Michael Carrick will step in as caretaker with no timetable set as to how long.
Some feel the firing of Solskjaer may have come too late considering one possible replacement, Antonio Conte, is no longer on the market as the former Inter Milan manager has taken charge at Tottenham.
In other words, Manchester United are left with very limited options.
Mauricio Pochettino throws Manchester United a lifeline
Seemingly out of nowhere, Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly willing to take over at Old Trafford.
According to ESPN, Pochettino could be tempted with the job as he has yet to settle at the Parisian side. One of the reasons he’s yet to settle is because of the lack of job security despite his contract.
He doesn’t seem to have the power, or authority, he wants at PSG and has been unable to rein in some of the egos in the dressing room. Every loss, whether in Ligue 1 or Champions League, seems to bring speculation as to whether he’ll be fired or if he’s good enough to build a cohesive side given the players at his disposal.
The Red Devils had an opportunity to get Pochettino when they sacked Jose Mourinho but opted to go for Solskjaer. At the time, Pochettino was managing Spurs.
Other than Pochettino, the only other serious candidate mentioned has been Zinedine Zidane. But the former Real Madrid manager may not be too keen to take the job and could be holding out for the France job instead.
On one hand, this is a unique opportunity for United and one they probably didn’t think was possible. On the other, it may prove difficult to pry Pochettino away from PSG. He could very well want to leave but his club may not make it easy on the Argentinian or on United.