Ralf Rangnick is currently in charge on an interim basis until the summer when he is expected to move into a consultancy role at the club.
The German has been at the helm since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November but United are stepping up their plans to find the Norwegian’s permanent successor.
PSG’s Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax boss Erik ten Hag are the leading contenders while Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is also said to be under consideration.
According to the Daily Mail, United hope by the end of April they will have their next manager confirmed to put them in the best possible shape to prepare for next season.
United’s new hierarchy, including CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough, are keen to give the new manager as much time as possible to get settled at the club before big decisions need to be made.
Appointing a new manager, even though he may not officially join until the end of the season, would enable them to have a say in contracts of current players as well as players to target when the summer window opens.
United are keen to get a new manager on board ahead of the window so they can recruit new signings early and be given a full pre-season to work with.
Should United’s plans continue to run to schedule, an announcement next month would make it United’s earliest summer managerial appointment they have made since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013 – David Moyes was confirmed on May 9.
The Red Devils will now be keeping close tabs on Pochettino’s situation at PSG following their disappointing last-16 Champions League exit to Real Madrid this week.
Before PSG were knocked out of the Champions League, United legend Gary Neville suggested Ten Hag would be considered the more favourable option.
‘Manchester United need a longer term approach for a manager, they’re not going to appoint a short-term manager like they did with Jose [Mourinho]. They went against the grain with that and won’t do it again,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘They want to appoint Ten Hag or Pochettino, a young, up and coming manager for the long-term. They can’t put all their eggs in one basket.
‘I suspect they’re favouring Ten Hag for what they want moving forward, but they won’t appoint Rangnick – he was only ever coming in for five months, gathering information around the structure of the club, the people at the club and at the end of the season he’ll hand over his report and move into a consultancy role next season, with the club either taking his advice or not.
‘I think a lot of things he’ll have to say about the players in that dressing room won’t be favourable.
‘They’ve got a real risk with Pochettino. Paris Saint-Germain could let him go if they get knocked out of the Champions League, but if they go and win it then it’s harder for United to go and get him because PSG don’t need the money, they’ll just hold onto him.’
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