Manchester United legend Gary Neville feels there are three standout candidates to be the next boss at Old Trafford, with one more just behind them.
Former Red Devils midfielder Michael Carrick has been appointed interim manager until the end of the season, replacing caretaker boss Darren Fletcher, who stepped in after the sacking of Ruben Amorim.
Carrick takes over the club sitting seventh in the Premier League and only three points off the top four.
His task is to qualify for the Champions League, but Neville feels that even if Carrick achieves that with ease, he should not be considered for the permanent job.
‘I hope Michael does really well,’ Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast. ‘We could be sat here at the end of the season with the fans up, with the team fifth in the table and back in the Champions League spots, and we could all be getting swayed with it.
‘But there cannot be any consideration that Michael takes the job beyond the end of this season, for the sake of Michael and the club, even if he wins every single game.’
Having ruled out the interim boss, Neville has picked out the names he thinks could succeed at Old Trafford, with the three standout contenders all currently in charge of international sides.
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The former United full-back thinks the England, Brazil and USA managers should be considered.
‘Who can handle the media?’ Neville asked. ‘Who can sort the dressing room out? Who can handle the owners? Who plays a style of football that fans will at least enjoy watching? Who has Champions League experience? Who has big‑game experience?
‘The three that stand out are [Thomas] Tuchel, [Carlo] Ancelotti and [Mauricio] Pochettino. They could all be available after the World Cup.’
Neville did throw another name into the ring, saying: ‘Eddie Howe – who has won a trophy, finished in the top four, and managed a big club in Newcastle – is another.
‘To make United an attractive club for players, Tuchel and Ancelotti bring a seriousness to matters. If you appoint a younger manager, United will miss out on players.
‘United are going to miss out on a lot of players anyway, but someone like Ancelotti would encourage players to come. They need that right now, because I’m not sure players are queuing up to join unless there is someone to believe in.’
Neville had previously picked out Ancelotti as his favourite of the options, recalling the 66-year-old being an option to replace Alex Ferguson when he retired.
‘The outstanding candidate for me would be Carlo Ancelotti, even if it would mean potentially delaying his arrival until late July if Brazil reached the World Cup final,’ Neville told The Overlap.
‘No-one comes as close to fulfilling everything laid out above than he does. Ironically the club met with Carlo shortly before his retirement in 2013 and we could have short circuited this entire process and started with him at the beginning of the cycle. But by that stage he was close to agreeing to joining Real Madrid for his first spell in charge and so what might have been a perfect appointment never happened.’
Carrick’s first game in charge is on Saturday as Manchester United host Manchester City in the Premier League.
