Let’s be honest, nobody saw Man United winning the FA Cup Final against Man City. Nobody except Erik ten Hag, who pulled off a tactical masterclass against Pep Guardiola’s side that is.
But it was a topsy-turvy season for United fans. They finished eighth in the Premier League table, lost 14 league games, averaged an eye-watering 14 shots conceded per game this term and were atrocious in Europe too.
Yes, the FA Cup win over their oldest of rivals sweetens things but it’s papering over some cracks, some rather large cracks. The kind of cracks you only usually see in the Old Trafford roof.
However, despite looking certain to a creaking Old Trafford exit door this summer, the United brain trust look set to keep faith with him after an FA Cup miracle.
The situation could change during preseason, and certainly if United struggle at the start of 2024/25, so we’ve asked our traders to look into the next Manchester United manager odds. Here are the latest runners and riders.
Mauricio Pochettino
Fresh from leaving Chelsea in an announcement that surprised many, could the Argentine crop up at his fourth Premier League club? Despite his slightly meh season at Stamford Bridge, Poch still packs a punch after the sort of success of his Tottenham team, who were quite good despite winning nowt.
Pochettino got Chelsea going in the second half of the season and was heavily linked with a move to Manchester before Ten Hag’s arrival. Could he be an option?
Thomas Tuchel
Another former Chelsea manager now in Thomas Tuchel. He left Bayern Munich this summer after a disastrous league campaign which saw them finish third behind the unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen and even Stuttgart.
The fact he would be available for nothing could appeal to Manchester United, he also has Premier League experience and is a Champions League-winning manager.
However, it has been suggested he’d rather take a break after a tricky time at Bayern rather than throw himself back into the bear pit.
Gareth Southgate
England manager Gareth Southgate is preparing for yet another big summer as he looks to finally guide The Three Lions to a tournament victory on the international stage.
He’s been at the helm since 2018 and is expected to step down at the end of the Euros regardless of the outcome. Could Old Trafford be his next destination?
Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi left Brighton in a move that caught a few off guard but could he be heading to United?
He did a fantastic job on the south coast, with his side landing a spot in Europe a couple of years ago. The Italian has been linked with numerous clubs across the continent, with his stock rising since taking over at the Amex.
Kieran McKenna
Could Northern Ireland’s Kieran McKenna be the man for the job even though he just signed a contract extension at Ipswich?
His stock is high after securing back-to-back promotions with the Tractor Boys taking them from League One to the Premier League. Playing a 4-2-3-1 system brought him plenty of success and it would certainly be a style of play that would suit the younger players on United’s roster.
McKenna knows the club well too having worked there from 2016 to 2021 going from coaching the Under 18s to working as part of the first team coaching staff under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Thomas Frank
Brentford weren’t great last season but Thomas Frank is highly rated for the job he’s done in turning them from a Championship club to a Premier League regular.
Whilst it’s an unlikely option, it would be interesting to see how he would do at a bigger club.
Graham Potter
Graham Potter only lasted six months at Chelsea following his move from Brighton and his reputation will have taken a hit as a result. However, the Stamford Bridge side were a bit of a basket case and it felt like more players arrived than the club scored goals in that time. He’s been rejecting jobs left, right and centre – is that because he’s waiting for the United hot seat?
Ruben Amorim
Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim is also on the list to take over at Old Trafford.
The 39-year-old has masterminded Sporting wins over English sides in Europe and his stock as a young boss is high.
Amorim led the Lisbon-based club to their first title in just under 20 years during his first full season in charge. Could he do the same at Old Trafford?
Zinedine Zidane
More of an ego manager than a football manager. Zinedine Zidane feels like the boss-level Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and had great success at Real Madrid. He was less effective in his second stint there but could do well with United’s bottomless resources and star names. However, he might be holding out for the France national team or the PSG job.
Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann was axed by Bayern Munich and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. He’s now the manager of the German national team, but he could be gone if they have a poor Euro 2024.
He’s a young and progressive manager but is that what United need? Or do the Old Trafford hierarchy want a manager who can win silverware now?
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Read More
- Score your football betting tips at Paddy Power News
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