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#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.
