The job of finding a new coach can be an arduous one, especially if the hunting club turns out to have displayed unseriousness in the past.
During the summer, Tottenham Hotspur gave a masterclass on how not to go coach hunting. After relieving Jose Mourinho of his job, the club went in search of a replacement only to discover it’s easier said than done.
The signals Tottenham gave out saw them turned down by several coaches before electing to give Nuno Espirito Santo the job. The Portuguese didn’t last on the job, with Antonio Conte eventually taking over amid assurances from Daniel Levy.
Manchester United had the opportunity to put the club on a sound footing but were reluctant over the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Antonio Conte, a tested and tried manager, was available while United were stumbling from one embarrassing defeat to the other. They could have gotten the Italian but now have to go through the pains Tottenham did in the summer.
Following the sacking of Solskjaer, Zinedine Zidane was top of the list of desired managers at Old Trafford. It has emerged that the three-time Champions League manager is not interested in the United job.
Zidane rejects United job
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally sent packing at United, the hunt for a new manager hots up with names like Zinedine Zidane, Mauricio Pochettino, Erik Ten Haag and Brendan Rodgers all linked to the job.
Of the names making the rounds, Zinedine Zidane is the most popular. The Frenchman is also currently unattached to any club and fancied as the favourite to take the job. If Zidane is plan A, then United may have to turn to plan B as Zidane has turned down the opportunity to manage the Old Trafford side.
According to a report from the Daily Star, Zidane is not ready to ply his craft in England with a few factors militating against taking over the United job. The Frenchman has a wife who is not keen on living in England, and it seems that her opinion in the matter carries plenty of weight.
Failure to convince Zidane to take the United job will leave the Red Devils with the arduous task of extricating the other options from their current contracts.
Other options open to Manchester United
Top of the bill for Manchester United is Mauricio Pochettino, who the club has admired for a while. The Argentine is now the fallback option for the Red Devils, but prising him away from Paris Saint Germain will be an uphill task, considering he is barely ten months on the job.
Manchester United might also baulk at the cost of extricating him from his current contract.
Brendan Rodgers is also favoured to land the job, but his links to rivals Liverpool has irked many fans, who believe he shouldn’t be on the list.
Erik ten Haag is doing a fine job at Ajax and is also favoured to land the job, but he will take some convincing to come to the Premiership.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
