Man Utd news: United can swerve Mauricio Pochettino with strategic left-field appointment | Football | Sport

As the end of another potentially trophyless campaign draws ever closer, the feeling surrounding the importance of Manchester United finding the right manager appears to intensify. Ralf Rangnick – for all his efforts – has simply not been up to scratch since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim boss until the end of the season. One of the most exciting squads in all of world football has become stagnant and stale, despite obtaining steady results on the field.

That in itself has posed further questions about the landscape at United as a whole, do the problems lie far deeper than the manager? Or are the players in fact the problem?

Either way, there is no decisive, commanding figure capable of finding the answers and instead, United appear to be sleepwalking towards further turbulence up ahead.

As it stands, Mauricio Pochettino appears to be the clear frontrunner for the Manchester United hot-seat – despite his current commitment to his Paris Saint-Germain contract. There is, however, a lingering expectancy that he could depart the Parc des Princes this summer whatever happens between now and the end of the season.

He’s a manager that has long been admired by the club’s hierarchy, who have considered appointing the Argentine on many occasions including as recently as last November.

Pochettino, undoubtedly, has the fundamentals and tools to take on the challenge but that doesn’t necessarily make him the correct appointment for United.

Take a look at the job he has carried out at PSG for instance, after inheriting a side that finished runners-up in the Champions League under Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel in 2020.

He has struggled to drive PSG to the next level and find ways of ensuring the team evolves to new heights under his leadership after missing out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille last term.

Perhaps PSG is somewhat of a poisoned chalice but if you take a look at Pochettino’s best work in England with Southampton and Tottenham – it was part of an exciting rebuild and long-term vision and strategy.

United – for their sins – are not actually a million miles away from where they need to be, despite the stark contrast between them and the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

It may seem like a huge gulf but a successful summer could see them bridge the gap and as it stands, the Red Devils are still fourth and on course to qualify for the Champions League – permitting all goes to plan.

But as Pochettino has shown with both Tottenham and PSG, he has struggled to take those sides to the next level and make the final step.

At the moment, that’s what United need but given Pochettino seems like such a clear frontrunner for the position and an obvious candidate, it’s an appointment worth reassessing.

Throwing more cash and high-profile big names at the situation is unlikely to prove the answer, as we’ve seen so many times since United parted company with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Instead, the time on United’s side between now and May should be used to explore potential left-field appointments – top coaches that would not normally make their way onto the club’s shortlist.

This is a chance to draw a line in the sand and embrace the prospect of a new, exciting era that is distant from the club’s recent past.

Erik ten Hag is indeed a worthy candidate, despite becoming a household name in European football in recent years with Ajax.

Ralph Hasenhuttl, who was suggested by Paul Scholes after Southampton drew 1-1 at Old Trafford last weekend, also represents another interesting wildcard option worth considering.

Graham Potter is another example of a young coach who represents exactly that. His outstanding work – centered around possession-based attacking football – on the south coast with Brighton has not gone unnoticed this season.

Despite a heavy defeat in the Champions League to Manchester City, Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has also made huge waves in recent seasons after guiding his side to the Primeira Liga title as unbeaten champions.

In addition, Simone Inzaghi has also impressed at Inter Milan after replacing Antonio Conte at the helm. His side played excellently despite losing 2-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League.

He has a clear style and identity with his team always operating in a set formation (3-5-2) – it’s been a while since that has been the case at Old Trafford.

While United are unlikely to ever risk rolling the dice on a maverick boss, the club’s history post-Ferguson shows appointing the big names and obvious candidates usually does end in tears.

Furthermore, United have lost track of their identity and a sense of what the club truly stands for. There have been huge, alarming differences between a number of their recent managers.

An independent, calculated decision that truly explores a long list of talented coaches in an open-minded fashion could now hold the key to success for United – as opposed to appointing a similar profile to the ones that have previously failed.