Man United Intensify Search for Next Coach With Mauricio Pochettino Favourite

Ever since legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, Man United have struggled on the field. Even the likes of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed to change the fortunes of the Red Devils. Now the iconic club is set to pick a new man to take charge at Old Trafford.

Struggling English giants Manchester United have intensified their search for a full-time manager since Richard Arnold took over from Ed Woodward as chief executive at the beginning of this month, football website Goal.com reported.

According to the sports outlet, several United players want Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager.

But head coach at Dutch side Ajax, Erik ten Hag, is also on the club's list of favourites, in case the French outfit doesn't allow Pochettino to leave.

Over the coming weeks, United are looking to hire a permanent boss, who will replace interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

The German was named the Red Devils head coach for a period of six months after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November last year.

Rangnick is expected to step down from his position after the end of the 2021-22 season before moving to an advisory role once the 20-time English champions have a full-time boss to manage their affairs.

On the other hand, several reports in the United Kingdom (UK) are saying that Rangnick is backing Erik ten Hag to become the next Red Devils manager.

The former Arsenal star has been managing Ajax since 2017 and has guided them to multiple titles in the Eredivisie (the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands) during his five years there.

Meanwhile, Pochettino has remained firm favourite to land the top job at Old Trafford after United spoke to him for the first time almost immediately after Solskjaer was removed from his post.

The Argentine is rated highly by the United hierarchy and the club's management loves the way he has handled some of the biggest names, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Sergio Ramos at PSG.

Pochettino's situation at PSG also makes him a perfect candidate for United, considering the Ligue 1 club could terminate his contract any moment.

Pressure has been mounting on Pochettino to deliver results at the Parc des Princes, especially after their recent exit from the French Cup.

Several pundits have argued in the past couple of days that the 49-year-old's time could be up in Paris if PSG fail to defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 with the two-legged fixture coming to an end on 9 March.

French coach Zinedine Zidane is said to be Pochettino's possible replacement at PSG ahead of the next season.