Huge request sees Man Utd ‘cool interest’ in proven managerial target

James Holland 29 Oct 2021 8:22 PM

Man Utd have cooled their interest in a managerial target due to his immense starting demands, according to a report.

Club chiefs have been sounding out potential replacements for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this week. The Norwegian has come under fire in the aftermath of the 5-0 thrashing by rivals Liverpool.

Solskjaer and his backroom staff have been slammed for not being up to the job. The Man Utd players have also come in for criticism, with Paul Scholes suggesting that Paul Pogba should not appear in the club’s strip again.

A number of well-known managers have been linked with Solskjaer’s job. Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is among them. The Northern Irishman has made Leicester genuine top-four contenders over the past few seasons.

Ajax’s Erik ten Hag is under consideration too. The 51-year-old has received plaudits for his attractive style of play in Holland.

However, it is Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino who are the top targets. Conte is a free agent after leaving Inter in May. He had just guided them to the Serie A title but was disillusioned with the club’s idea of selling star players.

Pochettino has been in charge of PSG since the turn of the year. However, the former Tottenham man has always been attracted by the prospect of managing Man Utd.

The Daily Star now provide an update on the managerial pursuit. They claim that Conte is less likely to take over due to his massive wage demands.

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The Italian wants a long-term contract worth £18million per season to replace Solskjaer. He is also intent on bringing a whole new backroom team to Old Trafford.

That would mean the Red Devils would have to part with coaches such as Michael Carrick and Mike Phelan. It would cost a huge amount of money due to compensation and would completely uproot the club’s future plans.

Conte also has ambitious ideas for the transfer window. He would require a new defensive midfielder to replace either Fred or Scott McTominay.

The former Chelsea boss doesn’t appear to rate Aaron Wan-Bissaka either. As a result, he would want Man Utd to fork out for a new attacking right wing-back. That would allow him to play his favoured 3-5-2 formation.

All of this is putting United officials off the pursuit. They will instead give Solskjaer the next few matches to save his job. If that fails to happen then Pochettino could become the frontrunner to take over.

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Solskjaer compares Man Utd to Tyson Fury

At Friday’s press conference, Solskjaer was asked about the difficult situation he finds himself in.

The 48-year-old used a Tyson Fury analogy to explain how United can get back to their best. “I’ve been through some very bad moments as a player here and when I’ve been a manager,” he said. “I’ve dealt with setbacks.

“There have been two or three crises at least since I became manager here and one thing I can say is I’ll always give it a good shot and fight back.

“I use the analogy: it felt like we were a boxer being punch drunk, knocked down in the first four minutes or in the first round. We had a chance, we conceded a goal. We wanted to sort it out, and went a bit too open and too frantic against a good team.

“You see Tyson Fury when he gets knocked down a couple of times. It’s remarkable how calm and composed he is on the floor, counts to six, seven, eight and he gets up and goes again.

“We got up too early and tried to sort it. Minds have to be better but we’ve had to look at different things as well. The communication has to be direct.”

Manchester United