MANCHESTER UNITED have confirmed they have started their search for a new manager.
Football Director John Murtough announced the news in a quarterly club update.
Ralf Rangnick will leave his role as manager in the summer
Mauricio Pochettino has been heavily linked to the Manchester United job
Rangnick and Richard Arnold are believed to be keen on Erik ten Hag
He said: “We are now conducting a thorough process for the appointment of a new permanent manager who will take charge this summer, with the objective to get us back to challenging for those domestic and European titles.”
United suspended their search for a new manager in January following Ralf Rangnick’s impressive start.
But an FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough and a slight decline in form means the German is unlikely to be kept on, with the club clearly eager for silverware.
Rangnick was appointed on an interim basis in November until the end of the season, when he will move into a consultancy role at the club.
That means he will be part of the team that appoints his successor with the 63-year-old said to be keen on Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.
Chief executive Richard Arnold also likes the look of the Dutchman, whose Ajax side are top of the Eredivisie and have a good chance of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has also been heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford since United tried but failed to appoint him in November.
But luring the Argentine to the club could prove difficult with Poch believed to be eyeing a dream move to Real Madrid instead.
The Red Devils could make a move regardless however since the players are reportedly keen to see Pochettino arrive.
But Pochettino has won just one trophy in his career – the Coupe de France – so he does not exactly fit Murtough’s search remit.
However, United legend Rio Ferdinand argues the club must choose playing style over immediate success when picking the new manager.
He said: “I think personally United have got to write off the next year or two in terms of trophies, minimum – say ‘we’re going to rebuild what we have, get our recruitment right and there is a certain style of play under this new manager that we are going to go with and he is going to have time to get it all right.
“There is going to be mistakes, a few things that go wrong but we are going to stick with this guy and give him a minimum of two years to work it out’ and see the progress and that development happen.
“It’s going to take that long, and you can’t have that transition and win. It doesn’t happen. Liverpool didn’t do it. How long did it take Klopp to win? You have to take a leaf out of other team’s books.”
