Manchester United new manager odds: The favourites for Old Trafford hot seat are named

September 21, 2023 Sports 4 Views

The Manchester United new manager odds are in, with incumbent boss Erik ten Hag struggling under the pressure at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have endured a tough start to the season with just two wins from their opening six games in all competitions. It’s unlikely that the Red Devils will ditch the Dutchman just yet, with ETH building a fair amount of faith in recent months, thanks to his stellar work last season. But it’s nonetheless intriguing to see the names linked with the role.

With a host of big names who could be parachuted into Ten Hag’s job, would any of these bosses be able to fix the current mess unfolding at Manchester United?

1. Zinedine Zidane: 4/1

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane is favourite for the Manchester United job (Image credit: PA)

Zinedine Zidane for the Manchester United job seems like a lazy take: just because he’s the biggest manager currently out of work, he’s a shoo-in for Old Trafford? Yet that’s exactly why he might be hired.

Zizou has been out of work since his second Real Madrid spell and is reportedly picky about where he makes his return. As the United hierarchy grows ever-more desperate for someone to “fix” United, however, going for a three-time Champions League-winning coach seems like the kind of move that they’d pull…

2. Julian Nagelsmann: 11/2

Julian Nagelsmann Bayern Munich manager

Julian Nagelsmann last managed Bayern Munich (Image credit: Getty Images)

Reports are linking Julian Nagelsmann to the Germany role that Hansi Flick recently left – which would rule him out of the Manchester United job, but for extraordinary circumstances.

Still, United could well engineer such circumstances. Last time, they brought in an interim manager to wait for the right fit – and they could try a similar trick to hire Nagelsmann properly after the Euros. The former Bayern Munich boss is said to be signing a short-term deal until after the tournament.

3. Roberto De Zerbi: 15/2

Brighton

Roberto De Zerbi has done a fantastic job at Brighton (Image credit: Getty Images)

If you can’t beat him…

Roberto De Zerbi has been one of the most impressive managers in the world over the past year, taking Brighton & Hove Albion into Europe and implementing a style of play that has been envied by plenty. Would he leave the Seagulls midseason to take over a Premier League giant? Well, the last manager did.

4. Michael Carrick: 9/1

Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick has struggled with Middlesbrough this season (Image credit: Getty)

Struggling at Middlesbrough right now, Michael Carrick could walk away from the side bottom of the Championship to join Manchester United of all clubs.

It feels like a long shot but the former midfielder excelled as a coach while at Old Trafford, is well-regarded by the club and had a successful interim stint following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal. Stranger things have happened.

5. Graham Potter: 10/1

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter speaks to the media during a press conference at the Cobham Training Centre in Cobham, Surrey, United Kingdom on 10 February, 2023.

Graham Potter left Chelsea last season (Image credit: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

You can see it, can’t you? It may not have worked out at Chelsea but Manchester United feels a better stylistic fit for Graham Potter.

Formerly the bright, young thing of English football, Potter may have tarnished his reputation a little at Stamford Bridge but this would be the perfect way to rehabilitate his image. There’s a squad there that he could certainly work with – and Potter always relished the role of others doubting him at Brighton. He would no doubt be embraced by United fans for his positive style of play, too.