Manchester United seem to be accelerating their search for their next permanent manager. MEN Sport understands that Erik ten Hag has emerged as the favourite ahead of Mauricio Pochettino in the club's opinion.
And now it's also understood that the club have interviewed the Dutchman for the role and are stepping up their efforts in the search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's permanent successor over the two-week international break. However, United want to make certain that they make the right appointment, so will be interviewing a number of other candidates as well.
A lot of key points will have been discussed during the interview, including the budget that Ten Hag will have available to him for transfers, how he will work with the club's current crop of players and also the direction he will be able to take the club in the future. But what about his backroom staff?
READ MORE: Manchester United plan further talks following Erik ten Hag manager interview
Some reports have stated that a major topic of discussion in the interview was the assistant manager position, with United being keen to appoint an ex-player to ease the transition and help unify the dressing room. According to the report, Rio Ferdinand has put his name forward for the role but there are doubts over whether he would be suitable.
However, another name that has been suggested is former United striker Robin van Persie who is currently a coach at Feyenoord. And based on the fans' reactions on Twitter they know who they want:
What the report didn't make clear was whether the ex-player appointment would be in place of Ten Hag's current assistant manager, Mitchell van der Gaag. Some United fans are wary of the club going down the path of appointing an ex-player as was the case under Solskjaer.
And they are worried that removing Ten Hag's trusted second in command could hinder his ability to do his job, they also were vocal on Twitter:
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