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Former Barcelona midfielder Jofre Mateu has weighed in on the debate surrounding who should be the next Manchester United manager. The Spaniard, who rose through the ranks at La Masia before making his senior debut in 1998, feels Carlo Ancelotti will be a good choice for the Red Devils.
Ancelotti, who returned to Real Madrid at the start of the ongoing season, has a contract that runs until 2024 at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, the Italian head coach has been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks.
With the Red Devils stuttering under interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the moment, the need for a more experienced and proven manager at Old Trafford is being echoed around.
The Premier League giants are currently on a three-game winless run across competitions and face both Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid in the next eight days.
Amidst talk of the players losing their belief in Rangnick's training methods, Jofre has expressed his views on how Manchester United should tackle the situation.
During an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, he stated:
“It depends on whether they are looking for a long-term project by building something of a model or if they are just trying to manage the players that they have now.
"If you have to just keep the players because of their names, for me Ancelotti is the man. He showed it here in Madrid, at Chelsea and many other places.
“Ancelotti is a good choice. He's a very nice coach, very elegant, very clever, and I love the way he faces any situation.”
Although he considers Ancelotti a good choice for Manchester United, Jofre maintained that the club can look at alternatives if they want to build a long-term project.
"If you are looking for a new project and want to be a reference in the Premier League in the future, they will probably have to fire some players and sign an interesting coach. It’s not my choice [to make], but it depends on what they really want."
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Round 16 – 2nd Leg): Liverpool vs Inter – LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on March 9, 2022, from 1:30 am IST.
"You cannot just sign good players without a plan" - Jofre warns Manchester United
On paper, Manchester United look capable enough to finish inside the top four of the Premier League. However, football has hardly ever been won on paper and Jofre alluded to the fact by signaling that the Red Devils must have a proper plan in place.
He continued:
“I think that’s the key [players buying into the project]. If you want to make a transition from where you are now and what you are looking for, you have to build a long-term vision. You cannot just sign good players without a plan.
"If you sign [a player] for a coach, go for that coach’s plan and sign the players that are going to fit the project.
"It’s not easy, but that’s the main thing Manchester United need to think about. What’s our plan? What we want for the future, the next season or the next two or three seasons."
Manchester United return to action in the Premier League on Saturday, when they face Tottenham Hotspur. Rangnick's men will then lock horns with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, which is currently level at 1-1 on aggregate.
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Round 16 – 2nd Leg): Bayern vs Salzburg – LIVE on SONY TEN 1 (English) channels on March 9, 2022, from 1:30 am IST.
