Phillip Buckley

By Manchester United’s standards this season has been nothing but an abject failure. While most fans believed the Red Devils would always undergo a period of transition when Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager, few could have envisaged it involving a slipping out of the top four and an absence of Champions League football. But that is exactly what has happened under David Moyes, without even a domestic cup triumph to keep the fires burning at Old Trafford. A prolonged spell out of the Champions League simply cannot be countenanced by the club’s owners, the Glazers, with commercial contracts sure to be affected if the 20-times English champions find themselves playing teams such as NK Maribor in a drab Thursday night Europa League affair.

Little wonder then that Moyes’ position is now under scrutiny and despite protestations of support from inside Manchester United, the Glazers may opt to make a change – and if not in the summer, then soon after if the former Everton manager continues to preside over inconsistent performances and results. Inside Futbol run the rule over who would be in the frame to replace Moyes as Manchester United manager.

Louis van Gaal – Current Job: Holland 

The Dutchman has one big thing going for him: availability. Van Gaal is leaving the Holland job after the World Cup and has expressed a desire to manage in England. Having won domestic titles in his native country, Spain and Germany, the former Bayern Munich boss is keen to add England to his CV. Sporting a Steve Bruce-esque nose, the 62-year-old would breeze into Old Trafford without any of the nerves that would accompany the appointment of a manager without big-club experience. Van Gaal had not one spell at Barcelona, but two, the Catalans inviting back someone they saw as a winner. The former midfielder might often brush people up the wrong way – he has had a long-running feud with Johan Cruyff – but he knows what he wants and gets the job done. It is hard to argue with three Eredivisie titles, two La Liga crowns, one Bundesliga and a Champions League, along with numerous other honours. Perhaps not the man to build a dynasty at Old Trafford, but certainly a man who would consider anything other than winning the Premier League to be a failure.

Diego Simeone – Current Job: Atletico Madrid

Simeone can’t but help to have made an impression on the Manchester United big-wigs this season. Appointed at Atletico Madrid in December 2011, his arrival was viewed as harsh on the man shifted aside to make way, Gregorio Manzano. Within a few months however, the former tough-tackling midfielder had caused the Vicente Calderon faithful to forget the 58-year-old. But if a Europa League in his first season was enough for celebration, Simeone was just getting warmed up, quickly masterminding a 4-1 destruction of Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup to start a new campaign which would end with the Copa del Rey being collected. There appears to be no end to the heights he can reach however and now Atletico Madrid are dismantling the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly in La Liga, along with making the final four of the Champions League. Would Simeone leave for Old Trafford? Given that the income distribution in La Liga means he is fighting Barcelona and Real Madrid with one hand tied behind his back, it is not hard to imagine the pragmatic Argentine being tempted.

 

Jurgen Klopp – Current Job: Borussia Dortmund

If Simeone might be someone prepared to consider Manchester United, Klopp may take much more courting. Having recently signed a new contract at Dortmund, Klopp appears utterly at home with the Ruhr giants and has not been disheartened by losing Mario Gotze last summer and Robert Lewandowski this summer to Bayern Munich. If anything, the idea of building a new team to claw back the large gap to the Bavarians and rule German football once again has stirred the manic-looking coach into action. Having won two Bundesliga titles, something which caused Bayern Munich to redouble their efforts and dust off their wallet, Klopp’s credentials cannot be questioned, while his experience in the Champions League has seen his side reach a final, a target Manchester United would aim for. However, if the wacky tactician resembles Brian Clough in more ways than one, there may also be concerns about how he would cope outside the comfortable Dortmund bubble. Klopp flourishes against the odds. At Old Trafford, they would be tilted to his favour.

Antonio Conte – Current Job: Juventus

“They are two winners, who believe their club to be the best in the world. They always want to impose themselves on others. For Ferguson, the Manchester United badge is most important and must be defended. That is the same for Conte at Juventus.” Carlos Tevez said those words, comparing Conte to Manchester United icon Ferguson. It was not the first time the Juventus boss has been compared to the Scot and will probably not be the last either. And those comparisons would only increase if Conte headed to Old Trafford. The 44-year-old has been nothing less than a roaring success at the Bianconeri since taking charge in 2011. Juventus have won two consecutive Serie A titles and are on course to scoop a third. Question marks still hang over Conte in Europe, with an exit from the Champions League at the group stage this term, but Italian sides no longer have carte blanche to sign the best players on the planet. Likely to be difficult to tempt away from Juventus, the club he represented as a player for 13 years, Conte has admitted annoyance at his hands being tied in the transfer market as he bids to compete with the best in the Champions League. And that may open the door for Manchester United.

Frank de Boer – Current Job: Ajax

De Boer has proven himself on the fast-track to coaching stardom with huge success arriving at Ajax since he took over at the club. The Dutchman is on the brink of leading Ajax to their fourth consecutive Eredivisie title, a feat which is by no means simple when the club continue to lose their best players summer after summer. And that is the reason the 43-year-old may be willing to quit Ajax for Manchester United, despite insisting while his children remain in education in Holland the time is not right to quit the Amsterdam ArenA. De Boer, who is in his first managerial job with Ajax, turned down the chance to speak to Liverpool in 2012, while he also rebuffed interest from Tottenham earlier this season. Schooled in the ways of the game during lengthy spells at Ajax and Barcelona as a player, the Dutchman would introduce a refreshing brand of play at Old Trafford, and that may be reason enough for some to champion his appointment. A lack of managerial experience could count against him however, with the level demanded in the Premier League far above that needed for success in the Eredivisie.

Fabio Capello – Current Job: Russia

If Manchester United want to take as little risk as possible with their next appointment then Capello will surely be high up their list. The Italian might not have lived up to his reputation during a stint in charge of England which included the Three Lions’ debacle at the 2010 World Cup, but in club management few can surpass the former Juventus boss. Capello was strongly tipped to be poised to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot intended to retire in 2002, admitting at the time: “Yes, I would like to manage Manchester United.” Now 67 years old, Capello would not be a nod to the future, but the Manchester United board could be sure appointing the current Russia boss would be as close as it is possible to get to a top four guarantee. Capello, with five Serie A titles, two La Liga crowns and a Champions League to his name, would instantly inspire respect when he walked into the Old Trafford dressing room. As a two-year stop-gap, while a long-term successor was found, could Manchester United do better than Capello? The job would also allow the Italian one last tilt at one of Europe’s elite clubs and the chance to repair his reputation in England.

Other Options

Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich): The Spaniard would be a dream appointment for Manchester United, but firmly entrenched at Bayern Munich, looks unlikely to abandon the Bavarians, and especially for a large-scale rebuilding job.

Ryan Giggs: A current player-coach at Old Trafford, is Giggs ready for the step up? The Welshman would be a big, bold gamble on the part of the club given he has no managerial experience to speak of, while none of the players to have flourished at Old Trafford under Ferguson have pulled up trees in the dugout yet.

Gary Neville: Another option which would seek to turn back the clock to the Ferguson days. Neville, now a TV pundit, has grown his reputation as a football thinker since retiring in 2011, jumping in at Old Trafford would be a leap of faith for both the former defender and the club.

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea): Tempting the Portuguese away from Chelsea would mark arguably the most controversial switch in English managerial history and leave the Blues fuming. Mourinho is also unlikely to abandon his rebuilding job at Chelsea having been overlooked for Moyes last summer.

Roberto Martinez (Everton): A repeat raid on Everton is unlikely to be top of Manchester United’s agenda, but Martinez has been such a breath of fresh air at Goodison Park that Moyes is not missed. The Spaniard has shown it is possible to have the Toffees challenging for a Champions League place while playing attractive football, with the latter permanently out of reach under his predecessor.

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