Next Man Utd Manager Odds: The four managers reportedly on United's radar

Two wins on the spin propelled Man Utd into the top-four just in time for the Winter Break.

Form, results, and performances have been mixed under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, but recent signs show that the Red Devils are gradually starting to click into gear ahead of a busy period both domestically and in Europe.

As for who could replace Rangnick as permanent manager in the summer, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that the club are expected to step-up their search for a new boss, with Mauricio Pochettino, Erik Ten Hag, and the Spanish duo of Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui the four managers believed to be on their radar.

With that said, we take a look at how this latest news has affected the next Man Utd manager betting market.

Mauricio Pochettino still tops the pile at 6/4 with Paddy Power and Betfair. The Argentine has plenty of Premier League experience from spells at Southampton and Tottenham, leading the latter to a Champions League final and multiple title contests.

At PSG for just over a year, Pochettino’s side are currently 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 - losing just once in 22 matches - and through to the last-16 of both the Champions League and Coupe de France where they face Real Madrid and Nice respectively.

As we said previously, if Pochettino is definitely interested then the job is most probably his.

Ralf Rangnick may remain a relatively short price as the 5/2 second favourite but he's expected to take on his consultancy role at the end of the season, whereas the 11/2 priced Brendan Rodgers has frequently reiterated his desire to stay at Leicester City and is not believed to be in the mix.

However, Erik ten Hag is an intriguing price at 13/2. The Dutchman continues to thrive at Ajax who returned to the top of the Eredivisie over the weekend following a 2-1 win against title rivals PSV. They’ve also impressed immensely in the Champions League where they’ve won all six of their matches this season. 

At the time of writing, Ten Hag’s free-scoring side have found the back of the net a whopping 94 times in just 29 matches this season in all competitions. On top of that, they've conceded just five league goals so far.

Come the summer it will be four-and-a-half-years at the helm of Ajax, so the time may well be ideal for Ten Hag to jet over to the Premier League and do battle with Europe's best managers week-in, week-out. His attacking style of play, thirst for goals, and development of young players certainly aligns with the 'Man Utd way'.

Despite a bright start to his Wolves tenure, a move for Bruno Lage (10/1) would come as a surprise while Atletico Madrid’s long-serving boss Diego Simeone (10/1) doesn’t look to be going anywhere despite an indifferent season so far.

Spain manager Luis Enrique is one of the four aforementioned managers under consideration. Barcelona’s former treble-winning manager is a 16/1 shot to return to club football but would he want to ahead of the 2022 World Cup? He’s building together an exciting new wave of Spanish starlets who, after a promising Euro 2020 (semi-finals) and 2021 Nations League (final), will feel they have what it takes to go all the way in Qatar.

You can then find Tottenham’s Antonio Conte and the out-of-work former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane at 16/1, followed by Italy’s ex-Man City manager Roberto Mancini (17/1), and Brighton’s Graham Potter (25/1).

Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui - another of the four managers Ornstein has linked with Man Utd - is a 33/1 outsider.

Unbeaten in charge of Spain, he was harshly sacked just before the 2018 World Cup after it was revealed he would take charge of Real Madrid. His spell at the Bernabeu didn’t go to plan but he’s since been revitalised at Sevilla; leading the club to Europa League glory and consecutive top-four La Liga finishes, while he’s currently got his side up in 2nd within four points of leaders Real Madrid.

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