Who will be the next Man Utd manager? Favourites, contenders & outsiders to succeed Rangnick

Manchester United have seen seven men take charge of first-team fixtures since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement back in 2013, with four permanent appointments made and three men filling interim or caretaker roles.

Another big decision now needs to be made in the dugout at Old Trafford, with Ralf Rangnick asked to steady the Red Devils ship and steer it through to the end of the 2021-22 campaign when answering an SOS call in December.

The German follows in the footsteps of David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick in the post-Ferguson era at Old Trafford, but he is due to head upstairs this summer and fill a consultancy role.

Who will take the reins and look to guide United towards what they hope will be a brighter future? GOAL takes a look at the runners and riders...

Who are the favourites to become the next Man Utd manager?

United have either passed up opportunities to move for Mauricio Pochettino in the past or been frustrated in efforts to prise him away from a rival, but the Argentine could end up at Old Trafford in 2022.

He is currently working with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, but reports suggest that the former Tottenham and Southampton boss is not entirely happy in France and could be lured back to England at the end of the season.

Pochettino is currently 5/2 (3.5) to become the Red Devils’ next manager, but he does not head the market.

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Erik ten Hag is a slightly shorter price at 6/4 (2.5), with there suggestions in the Netherlands that a man who has been in charge of Eredivisie giants Ajax since 2017 is ready to take on a new challenge.

Beyond him, and Rangnick is considered to be a 5/1 (6.0) shot to remain on the touchline at Old Trafford and shelve any plans to head for the boardroom.

He has delivered a slight upturn in fortunes since succeeding Solskjaer and taking over from caretaker coach Carrick, with only one Premier League defeat suffered through eight top-flight outings, but his brand of football has hardly been free-scoring, while a fourth-round exit has been endured in the FA Cup.

Who are the contenders to become the next Man Utd manager?

Another of those to have been mooted as a potential United manager of the future for some time now is Brendan Rodgers, who remains in the mix despite his previous ties to Liverpool.

The Northern Irishman has been in charge of Leicester since February 2019 and, after suffering a dip in results there of late, is priced at 13/2 (7.5) to be offered a prominent post at Old Trafford.

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Diego Simeone is another coach to have had questions asked of his ongoing presence in a current role, with the Argentine seeing Atletico Madrid fall a little flat this season on the back of another La Liga title triumph in 2020-21.

He is available at 12/1 (13.0) to take on a new challenge in England, while Didier Deschamps is lined up at 14/1 (15.0).

The Frenchman has enjoyed success in the past at Monaco, Juventus and Marseille, but is tied to a contract with the France national team through to the end of a bid to successfully defend their World Cup crown at Qatar 2022.

Antonio Conte is next on the market at 16/1 (17.0), but is currently working in the Premier League at Tottenham and United may have missed a trick there when the Italian was out of work for several months on the back of a departure from Serie A champions Inter.

Who are the outsiders to become the next Man Utd manager?

Zinedine Zidane has long been linked with a managerial post in the Premier League, and was said to be learning English at one stage, but the former Real Madrid boss is now 20/1 (21.0) to take charge of United as he is seemingly being lined up to replace Pochettino at PSG.

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Current Spain coach Luis Enrique, who delivered plenty of silverware in a previous role at Barcelona, is available at 25/1 (26.0) for the Red Devils, while England manager Gareth Southgate is priced at 40/1 (41.0) to leave his position with the Three Lions.

Other notable long shots include Marcelo Bielsa at 66/1 (67.0) – who continues to work on 12-month deals at Leeds – Carrick at 80/1 (81.0) to head back to Manchester and Roy Keane and Gary Neville both being priced at 100/1 (101.0) to retrace their steps to Old Trafford.

All odds from Betfair and correct at time of writing on 08/02/2022. 18+. begambleaware.org