Zinedine Zidane to Mauricio Pochettino: Top 5 potential replacements for Manchester United coach

All the likely replacements for former Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane also believed to be in the race

Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. (Source: Twitter)

Manchester United lost 4-1 to Watford on Saturday (November 19) which forced the club officials to finally take the decision of sacking manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Well, firing the manager is most likely the last decision any club wants or dreams of. As the change in tactics and everything like players mentality, routine, formation etc comes within.

For the time being Manchester United have assistant coach and former United mid-fielder Micheal Carrick in charge till the club officially signs a new coach for themselves.

Here we present the 5 potential candidates for the Manchester United job:

Zinedine Zidane

Zidane had a magical run with his former club Real Madrid, with similar faces like Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane he won three Champions League titles during his time with Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane is the most preferable coach as of now for United and he is the first name on the list for Manchester United.

Zidane's trophy collection as Real Madrid coach: 

*Two LaLiga titles (2016/17 and 2019/20)

* Three Champions Leagues (2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18)

* Two Spanish Super Cups (2017, 2019/20)

* Two UEFA Super Cups (2016, 2017)

* Two FIFA Club World Cups (2016, 2017)

Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers is second on the list because Zidane may have done wonders with Real Madrid but he still lacks the cold Premier League experience. Currently, the coach of Leicester City and ex-coach of United's arch-rivals Liverpool, if Rodgers signs the deal with United, his Liverpool reputation will get a bad welcome at Anfield (Liverpool stadium).

Rodgers has a couple of more teams on his CV like Celtic F.C and premier league side Watford F.C.

Brendan Rogers achievements as a Manager:

Two Scottish Cups and three League Cups as Celtic Boss prior to joining Leichester in 2019. Rodgers failed to claim a title with Liverpool and Watford F.C. Although, he still won the Premier League manager of the month in January 2012, August 2013 and March 2014.

Mauricio Pochettino

The current PSG and former Tottenham Hotspur manager is also on the list of Manchester United. Pochettino could well face the same treatment as Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel who was working as head coach of PSG but got sacked due to the failure in the Champions League.

PSG can fire Pochettino in respect of their past decisions, possibly opening a move back to Premier League as United Coach for the Argentine.

Pochettino achievements as a manager:

Mauricio Pochettino won his first trophy in 2021, the Trophee des Champions with PSG for the eighth time in the club's history.

Julen Lopetegui

Curent Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui is also an option for Manchester United. Lopetegui kicked out Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2019/20 and went on to win the title. Julen Lopetegui has coached giants like FC Porto, Real Madrid and the Spain national side. Also, he was in charge of both Under-19 and Under-21 Spanish National sides achieving relative success.

Julen Lopetegui guided his current side Sevilla to a record sixth time Uefa Europa League title in the 2019/2020 season.

Luis Enrique

The current Spain boss Luis Enrique is a tough one to sign for United but is on their list given his glamorous CV. United would need to pay a huge amount of money to sign Luis Enrique as he's currently the Coach of his Country Spain. He has managed giant clubs like F.C Barcelona, Roma and Celta Vigo.

Luis Enrique trophies as a manager:

1 Club World Cup, 1 Champions League, 2 Spanish Super Cups, 2 league titles and 3 Copa del Rey trophies.