April 01, (THEWILL) – The search for a new manager at Manchester United is at the final laps, as the Old Trafford club is set to begin the last round of interviews.
Based on the progress so far, it appears to be a clear two-horse race between Ajax manager Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino of Paris Saint-Germain.
Les Parisiens are willing to let their Argentine manager leave this summer and will not expect United to pay them if Pochettino moves to Old Trafford to take on what has been regarded as a cursed chalice, since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013 after 27 years in charge.
Meanwhile, Ajax granted Ten Hag permission to be interviewed by the Premier League team. Much like PSG, the Dutch club have committed to not obstructing him if he were to be United’s preferred manager.
Despite United’s concerns about Ten Hag’s lack of experience managing a team of their stature, the Ajax manager has impressed them so far and remains the favourite choice of the recruitment team at Old Trafford.
United has been extremely methodical in their approach and have done their best to not rush through the selection process, on the one hand, while avoiding bias, on the other.
As much as the team wants to want to have done their homework and done it admirably, it appears to be terrified of making the incorrect option as other choices of manager has made it seem in the recent past. Since the 2013 departure of Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all been letdowns.
Currently, Pochettino and Ten Hag are both successful managers in their own rights. Both coaches have had experience guiding underdog sides with a young core to the Champions League’s knockout stages.
The fact of Pochettino’s Premier League experience, might make him the better pick when it comes to hitting the ground running, but it is not an easy decision to pick one of the two given Ten Hag’s antecedents and willingness to take up the challenge.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
