Man United set surprise deadline for manager announcement
Manchester United want to announce their next permanent manager before the end of the season.
Ralf Rangnick was placed in interim charge of the Old Trafford club in late November after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 63-year-old German has achieved moderate success as manager, losing only two of his 18 games in charge.
But Champions League qualification remains uncertain for Manchester United, who sit fifth and one point behind Arsenal, having played three games more.
Rangnick is thought to be an option for the permanent role, but the candidacy of Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag is far stronger, while the ongoing situation at Chelsea is being monitored with regards to Thomas Tuchel’s availability.
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Carlo Ancelotti might also be in the running as more of a short-term appointment.
Most of those under consideration are already attached to other clubs in some way, perhaps complicating Manchester United’s plan to make an announcement by the end of April.
That is the latest possible deadline set by the club, according to the Daily Mail, who explain that Old Trafford chiefs hope it ‘will allow their next manager greater scope to be involved in their preparations for the forthcoming window’.
Transfer and contract negotiations are currently being affected by the ‘uncertainty’ and Manchester United believe an early decision will aid their decision-making going forward into a rebuild for which they seemingly have no plan.
It comes in direct contrast to the official announcements of David Moyes (May 9 but started work in July), Louis van Gaal (May 19 but started work in July) and Jose Mourinho (May 27 but started work in July), with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a mid-season arrival.
The report indicates that the previous three times a manager has taken the role in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era have been taken into account:
‘It is also an indication of the determination of United’s new hierarchy, including CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough, to give their next manager every opportunity to hit the ground running.’
