How Sir Alex Ferguson could derail Man Utd manager plans
Manchester United will likely be on the lookout for a new permanent manager this summer, with Ralf Rangnick set to move into an advisory role at the end of the campaign.
Following the unsuccessful tenure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, veteran German boss Rangnick was brought in as caretaker in December.
He is widely expected to move into an advisory role thereafter, dealing with recruitment and the academy.
Man Utd have a number of targets in mind as his replacement, including Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane, Erik ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers.
Pochettino remains the number of target, but Sir Alex Ferguson is keen on another manager out there.
The Scot is still on the board at Man Utd and is still naturally respected at Old Trafford due to his decades of service as manager previously.
Should Pochettino not arrive, Ferguson is campaigning for the club to appoint Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, according to the Mirror.
Ferguson and Ancelotti have a close, personal relationship and the former is of the opinion that the Los Blancos head coach would be a perfect fit for Man Utd.
He has already recommended Ancelotti to new Man Utd CEO Richard Arnold.
Ferguson was a key figure in recommending his replacement nearly a decade ago, with David Moyes coming into the hotseat at Old Trafford only to fail.
Pochettino out of the running?
If Pochettino is the number one choice, then Man Utd are set to be left disappointed.
Spanish outlet Sport reports that the Argentine is not interested in the manager's job at Old Trafford at the moment as it remains his dream to one day take control at Real Madrid.
Pochettino was appointed manager of Paris Saint-Germain in January of 2021, but has failed to win the league in his first half-season.
PSG are runaway leaders in the 2021/22 season, but reports linking Pochettino with an exit are never far away.
Pochettino's record at Tottenham
Pochettino's spell at Tottenham was the longest, and most impressive, of his managerial career to date.
#mufc are ready to abandon the interim strategy if they can get Mauricio Pochettino now #mulive [@JamieJackson___, @FabrizioRomano]
— utdreport (@utdreport) November 23, 2021
His five-year reign included four consecutive top-four finishes, as well as League Cup and Champions League final appearances.
The criticism, of course, was that he never managed to bring silverware to the north London club.
But, in fairness, Spurs had no business competing for major honours with such little investment.
The 159 wins to 72 losses proves that Pochettino was Tottenham's best manager of the Premier League era.