(Football news) Manchester United are currently in a haywire situation. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Watford. The sacking may have come a bit too late and at a very wrong time, just after a two week international break. Caretaker manager Michael Carrick took charge of the team in the 2-0 victory against Villarreal.
Manchester United have planned to appoint an interim manager till the end of the season before appointing a long term manager. Mauricio Pochettino, Erik Ten Hag and Zinedine Zidane are names thrown around for the long term management role, but that decision will not be made anytime soon. The immediate priority of the Manchester United board would be to relieve Carrick of his duties and appoint a fresh coach.
One of the names being linked is Ernesto Valverde. It's been almost two years since the Spaniard was sacked by Barcelona. In his 2 full seasons as Barcelona coach, Valverde won the La Liga both times. He did a great job at Athletic Club Bilbao before that and could be exactly what Manchester United need right now. Out of the available managers, Valverde is arguably most likely to make the most out of the resources available.
Currently Manchester United's ambitions in the Premier League would be top 4. They are already out of the Carabao cup which leaves them with the UCL and the F.A Cup if their ambition is to win trophies. Some would say that UCL is a little too ambitious but with Mr. Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo, anything is possible. Valverde may not play the most attractive brand of football but he will get results. He will make the United defence stronger and get some flow into the midfield.
Manchester United play Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace in the space of a week. If and when a new manager is appointed, he will not have much time to prepare the team and settle in. The sooner Michael Carrick is replaced by a more capable interim manager, the better it would be for Manchester United to get their season back on track.
