Following the appointment of Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis until the end of the season, Manchester United are likely to be looking to recruit a permanent manager at the end of the season.
Despite Rangnick taking over from former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and doing a decent job, the German tactician is unlikely to take the permanent job and instead looks set to move upstairs and work in a consultancy role in the summer.
Once Rangnick’s time in the Old Trafford dugout comes to an end, it will be on the club’s decision-makers to sound out a suitable successor.
Several high-profile candidates have already been linked, including Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag.
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One name which, up until now, has gone relatively under the radar when it comes to taking the reins at United, has been Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone.
However, speaking recently, former club captain Roy Keane believes the no-nonsense Argentine is the ideal man to take charge at Old Trafford.
“You go and get the manager you want,’ the former United captain told The Mirror. ‘You should go and get the right manager you think is right for your club.
“People say ‘oh, somebody’s tied up with a club’. But if you really want a manager – and that’s what it’s like when you really want a player – you go and get him.
“Never mind making excuses saying he’s not available for two years. You pay fortunes for players, so why not a manager?
“I don’t care who’s under contract; if you think he’s the right manager for Manchester United, well you go and get him.
“You go and pay the money whoever it might be. They’ve got to go and get the right manager.”
Simeone, 51, has been an incredible servant for Atletico Madrid.
Having spent over a decade in charge at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, the 51-year-old has already lifted eight major trophies, including two La Liga titles.
Continuing to rival the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, there is no denying that Simeone’s brand of football hasn’t been hugely successful in Spain’s top-flight over the course of the last 11 years.
With United set to welcome the Spanish champions back to Old Trafford next month for a return leg in the Champions League first-round knockout stage, both sides, who contested a hard-fought 1-1 draw earlier this week, will be wondering whether or not Simeone will swap dugouts at the end of the season.
