Man Utd: Rio Ferdinand picks ‘competent’ Carrick replacement who ‘jumps off the list’

Rio Ferdinand has revealed why Mauricio Pochettino is the candidate for the Manchester United job who ‘jumps off the list’ to replace Michael Carrick at Old Trafford.

Carrick is poised to be relieved of his duties this week, with our sources revealing that United’s hierarchy are increasingly convinced that a decision on the 45-year-old’s future cannot be delayed any further.

It’s been a disastrous start to the season for Man Utd and Carrick, especially given the unbelievable turnaround that he engineered as interim boss last term to secure Champions League football.

Indeed, the Red Devils currently sit 18th in the Premier League table going into the November international break, and are just one point off bottom spot.

While Old Trafford bosses are currently reviewing Carrick’s position, a change in the dugout now looks inevitable, with the likes Eddie Howe, Fabian Hurzeler, Julian Nagelsmann, Unai Emery and Antonio Conte having all been linked with the Old Trafford job.

Meanwhile, former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Pochettino has also emerged as a strong candidate to replace Carrick, and Ferdinand has put his support behind the Argentine.

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Ferdinand firmly in the Pochettino camp for Man Utd

The 54-year-old Argentine only signed an extension to his contract as USA coach after last summer’s World Cup, but the deal is heavily reported to contain a release clause.

“People are talking about Mauricio Pochettino and it looks like he’s at the front of the queue right now,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

“We spent some time with him and his team in the summer, they’re really good guys and competent at what they do.

“I look at Pochettino and one of his biggest assets is that human element of his management and building confidence with his players. That’s a big part of Manchester United at the moment because we’ve got far too many broken individuals.

“How that gets rebuilt, is that coaching, results or somebody coming in and putting an arm around their shoulder? It’s going to be all of that.

‘I look at that group of names and think Pochettino is the one that jumps off the list as someone who has more of the things we’re looking for to save and build a group of players.

“I think he’s got more than the others from what I’ve seen and my interactions with him over time.

‘There’s not many names jumping off the page when you look at it. People will say, ‘what has Pochettino won?’, but you can say the same about Eddie Howe.

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“The standards have dropped massively so let’s be realistic about where we are. There’s a process to get back there. We need to stabilise and get back in the Champions League again.”

Whoever is in charge after the international break will have a real test on their hands, with United heading to bitter rivals Liverpool on November 22.