The hunt for the next Manchester United manager is on. Joining the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag on the list is the current Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti. However, the Red Devils only see him as a short-term option.
Manchester United have begun to look for Ralf Rangnick’s long-term successor. The incumbent head coach is to retire to the stands upon the end of his six-month term and is due to take a consultancy role with the club until the end of the 2024 season. Among the candidates to replace him, say reports, are Paris Saint-Germain’s Pochettino and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag. However, another name on the shortlist – as per ESPN – is that of Ancelotti.
The Italian himself returned to Spain at the start of the current season. Prior to that, he was the manager of Everton in the Premier League, but when Real came calling, he left the Toffees – on the eve of the new season – to re-sign with Los Blancos. Ancelotti, of course, has prior history with Los Blancos, whom he led to their tenth Champions League title back in 2014.
Previous reports have stated that Real Madrid themselves are looking to replace Ancelotti at the end of the present season with Pochettino, thus, throwing a spanner in the works for United, who had hoped to prise the Argentinian away from Paris this summer. The Red Devils, in turn, have turned their attention towards Ancelotti, earmarking the Italian as a potential short-term solution to their managerial problem.
Ancelotti, says the report, has a close personal relationship with long-term Manchester United manager – and club legend – Sir Alex Ferguson, whose advice present CEO Richard Arnold seeks from time to time. While the Scotsman has asked his former club to go all-in for Pochettino, he has suggested Ancelotti as a failsafe.
At the moment, Ancelotti is presiding over a Real Madrid side six points clear of the competition on top of LaLiga. Things are shakier in the Champions League, though, where the thirteen-time winners are trailing PSG 1-0 after the first leg.
