Man United place Southgate on five-man manager shortlist

Matt Stead

Manchester United have made their interest in England manager Gareth Southgate known.

The Daily Telegraph report that United are ‘considering an approach’ for the water-loving waistcoat connoisseur due to growing fears that they will be unable to prise first-choice candidate Mauricio Pochettino from Tottenham.

Pochettino remains United’s preferred candidate to permanently replace Jose Mourinho, but they are ‘aware it is by no means certain he will agree to come’.

The Argentine has five years remaining on a contract he signed only last year, and the Sunday Mirror add that Daniel Levy would want at least £50million to let him leave early.

United are therefore considering other names for the role, with Southgate one of those in the frame. It is far from certain they would land him either, of course. As Sam Wallace writes:

‘The England manager is committed to the national team and although United represents the biggest job in English club football he may well believe that, at 48, it could come around for him again.’

Zinedine Zidane is also on United’s managerial shortlist, but ‘there are reservations about his suitability’ that not even three successive Champions Leagues can refute.

The other names United will consider are current interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as well as Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone. The Sunday Mirror say they ‘have sounded out’ the Argentine over his future.

Simeone has 18 months remaining on his Atletico deal, and ‘intermediaries claiming to work on behalf of United’ have already been in contact.

They, too, reiterate that Pochettino is the ideal man for the job. It seems unlikely.