Louis Van Gaal’s time at Manchester United is looking extremely likely to be brought to a premature end before the Dutchman’s planned retirement in 2017, and his exit before next season looks inevitable.
In the Transfer Tavern, many of our punters have been calling for the axe to swing upon Van Gaal’s head for a few months and the appointment of Pep Guardiola across the city has seen many state that United need to accelerate their search for Van Gaal’s successor.
However, it’t not as easy as many think as the best manager’s in the world are tied down to jobs, or in the case of Carlo Ancelotti are signed to a club from the end of the current season.
Having said that, there’s still a fair few targets out there for United to target and our punters have drawn up a list of five managers they believe are the most likely to succeed Van Gaal at Old Trafford.
What they can’t decide though is who the ideal successor should be, so we’ll leave that for you to decide in the comments.
Hit Van Gaal below to see FIVE most likely successors to the Dutchman at Man United!
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Jose Mourinho
The bookies favourite ever since he was sacked by Chelsea in December, Jose Mourinho is desperate to get the job at Old Trafford and redeem himself in the Premier League after leading Chelsea to a disastrous title defence this term.
Whilst that knocked his reputation severely, the fact of the matter is that he’s a quality manager which not many can compete with. He has two Champions League titles, with Porto and Inter Milan, as well as vast experience in English football.
The concern is his controversial behaviour and the fact that his transfer record at Chelsea was severely criticised, with a wealth of his recruits failing to hit the mark.
Mauricio Pochettino
Another potential appointment that wouldn’t go down well in certain areas of London, Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is making himself a serious contender with a fantastic display at White Hart Lane in the past few years.
Taking a mediocre Spurs side, and injected a flood of young talent into the squad, Pochettino has Spurs set for Champions League football next year and, if they play their cards right, they could be celebrating a league title for the first time in over half a century.
United need a massive overhaul and Pochettino has shown he has the credentials to do exactly what is required.
Ryan Giggs
United’s long-term plan was to have Louis Van Gaal in place until 2017, with Ryan Giggs learning the ropes as his assistant, before the Welsh legend took charge at Old Trafford upon the Dutchman’s departure. However, there’s some big flaws in that plan.
Firstly is Van Gaal himself, who looks unlikely to remain for that long, and the recent appointment of Pep Guardiola has left many demanding an experienced, world-class boss. Giggs could be that in the future but right now, he simply doesn’t fit the requirements.
Still, with limited options out there, United may play it safe with Giggs’ appointment but it could just see a continuation of the current problems- with Giggs directly involved this season.
Diego Simeone
One of the most highly-regarded managers on the continent, Diego Simeone has risen to fame with Atletico Madrid after not only making them a contender for titles in Spain but also leading them to success in Europe as well.
He may call time at the Vicente Calderon though, with it difficult to improve upon what he’s done so far, and if that was the case United would come calling. He has shown he can take an underperforming side and make them into giants, with shrewd transfer business as well.
His hot-headed approach may not sit well with the United hierarchy though, which could prove to be his downfall, but with the Red Devils needing wholesale changes, Simeone could be the ideal recruit.
Gary Neville
Perhaps an outsider, Gary Neville is still a contender. A surprise appointment at Valencia earlier this season hasn’t quite gone to plan, with a lowlight being the recent drubbing at the hands of Barcelona, and his long-term future will undoubtably be in England.
Whilst he, like Ryan Giggs, doesn’t have the experienced credentials United are searching for, he may be a better option to the Welshman. This is because Giggs has been right in the middle of United’s struggles this term, although he’s not directly to blame, but his association may require someone from the outside to step in.
Neville could be that man, although given his showings in Spain we don’t think it would go down very well.
