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It's been an eventful few days for Manchester United who relieved former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from his duties on Sunday. The Red Devils have bounced back from that. They did so by securing passage to the Champions League knockout stage by beating Villarreal on Tuesday, under caretaker manager Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, United have been linked with a host of managers, with new developments emerging at a rapid pace. Despite Mauricio Pochettino's reported interest in the Manchester United job, Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly firmly shut the door on a potential move.
Manchester United have drawn up a five-man shortlist for the role of interim manager
Despite falling down the ladder in the Premier League over the last few seasons, Manchester United remain one of the world's most popular clubs. Rumours have unsurprisingly been flying around about their new manager. Red Devils fans received a brief, albeit rude, shock when Steve Bruce's name was thrown into the hat.
Manchester United fans can breathe easy, though. The latest reports reveal that the Red Devils have drawn up a five-man shortlist for the role of interim manager. The club has reportedly moved quickly, and interviews with the targets are already underway.
Mauricio Pochettino and Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers are still amongst Manchester United's preferred choices for the permanent role, as per Fabrizio Romano. However, it looks highly likely that the Red Devils may have to settle for an interim coach for the time being.
On that note, here are the five coaches who have been linked with the interim manager role at Manchester United:
#5 Paulo Fonseca
Manchester United fans will be surprised to see Paulo Fonseca's name on the club's shortlist. His AS Roma side were outclassed by Solskjaer's Red Devils in the Europa League semi-finals last year. They went down 8-5 on aggregate after a 6-2 thrashing in the first leg.
Fonseca had caught the eye during a three-year spell at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won the domestic double in each of his three seasons at the club. The Ukrainian team also had many high-profile victories in the Champions League. That included a win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, which ended the latter's 28-game unbeaten run.
A two-year stint at AS Roma followed, during which Fonseca's team underwhelmed, though. After they finished seventh in the Serie A, the Portuguese manager was replaced by compatriot Jose Mourinho at the end of last season.
Fonseca was reportedly targeted by Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer, but a move didn't materialize. Manchester United supporters' initial reactions to the rumour about Fonseca suggest they would be disappointed with his potential appointment, even if it is on a temporary basis.
#4 Rudi Garcia
Manchester United target Rudi Garcia divides opinion. On one hand, he has turned in solid results at nearly every club he has managed, despite never taking the reins at a true heavyweight team. However, he is also notorious for falling out with players and executives remarkably often. That was especially seen during his time at AS Roma, Marseille and Lyon.
Garcia rose to prominence after an unbelievable season at Lille. There, he defied all expectations, winning a league and cup domestic double in 2010-11. The Coupe de France win was Lille's first triumph in the competition since 1955, and Garcia was named the Ligue 1 Manager of the Year.
He also played a key role in the development of promising youngster Eden Hazard, who would go on to become one of the best players in the world. Most recently, Garcia unexpectedly led Lyon to the semi-finals of the 2019-20 Champions League, shocking Juventus and Manchester City along the way.
Garcia fits the bill in terms of playing attacking football. However, Manchester United are unlikely to pursue a combative personality, especially after turning down Antonio Conte.
#3 Lucien Favre
Swiss coach Lucien Favre is the latest name to be linked with Manchester United, with reports in this regard emerging on Wednesday evening. He was most recently manager of Borussia Dortmund, where he won the German Supercup over Bayern Munich, and finished second in the 2018-19 Bundesliga.
Favre made his name at FC Zurich in Switzerland, where he won two league titles and a Swiss Cup. He also won a Swiss Cup with Servette FC. However, he is best known for a memorable spell at German club Borussia Monchengladbach.
Favre took over in late 2011 when the club was rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga table. Not only did he save them from relegation, but he also led Monchengladbach to a stunning fourth-place finish the following campaign. He followed that up with an improved third-place finish in 2014-15.
#2 Ralf Rangnick
The enigmatic Ralf Rangnick is arguably the most intriguing option in Manchester United's shortlist.
The German manager has been a coach for nearly 30 years now, and is credited with helping shape the 'gegenpressing' strategy. Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagalsmann have all studied Rangnick's tactics. Rangnick is widely acknowledged as an innovator as well as a strict disciplinarian.
Despite his vast experience, Rangnick doesn't have the trophies to show for his efforts. That can be attributed to his penchant to take up jobs at modest clubs. He worked closely with the Red Bull sporting group during the 2010s, and enjoyed an impressive spell as RB Leipzig manager. The club finished third in the Bundesliga while reaching the 2019 DFB Pokal final under his tutelage.
Rangnick also has experience as an executive, and would be an astute signing for Manchester United, but is unlikely to accept an interim role. He turned down Chelsea when they approached him to temporarily take over last season after Frank Lampard's sacking.
#1 Ernesto Valverde
Spanish coach Ernesto Valverde ticks all the boxes for Manchester United's requirements, and would be a terrific appointment.
He is, rather unfairly, remembered for Barcelona's humiliating exits in consecutive Champions League campaigns to AS Roma and Liverpool respectively. If one looks past those two blots on Valverde's record, he has an otherwise extremely impressive CV.
Ernesto Valverde made his name with Athletic Bilbao, where he succeeded the legendary Marcelo Bielsa in 2013. He immediately led them to a top-four finish, which remains the only instance when Bilbao secured direct qualification to the Champions league in the entire decade.
Four of the club's five best league finishes in the 2010s came under Valverde, and they haven't been the same force since his move to Barcelona in 2017. With Barcelona, Valverde won back-to-back La Liga titles, including a domestic double in his first season with the club. Barcelona also went on a fabulous 29-game unbeaten run across competitions under the tactician.
When Barcelona sacked Valverde in 2020, he was on the verge of leading them to a third consecutive La Liga title. Despite being perched at the top of the table at the time of his departure, Valverde's exit coincided with Barcelona losing momentum. They eventually lost the title to bitter rivals Real Madrid.
He also had a successful seven-month interim spell with Valencia, securing qualification for the Champions League. Valverde is an underrated manager who could very well prove to be good enough to take up the permanent role at Manchester United.
