Manchester United are looking for their seventh full-time manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 after 27 trophy-laden years in charge.
Since then, s Scotsman (David Moyes), two Dutchmen (Louis van Gaal and Erik ten Hag), a Portuguese (Jose Mourinho), a German (Ralf Rangnick) and a Norwegian former striking legend (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer) have all tried and failed in what has often looked like an impossible job.
Here are some of the likely candidates the club's leadership - fronted by minority owner Jim Ratcliffe - will be considering.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Interim boss after being put in temporary charge at Old Trafford. The 48-year-old scored 150 goals in 219 appearances for the Red Devils. He joined Ten Hag's coaching team this season after previous coaching posts with the Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven.
Xavi
Enjoyed an impressive three-year spell with former club Barcelona before leaving in May. The 44-year-old was appointed in November 2021 and steered the side from ninth place to runners-up that season. They were league champions during Xavi's first full campaign in charge and won the 2023 Spanish Super Cup.
Thomas Frank
The 51-year-old has impressed at Brentford, where he took charge in October 2018, having previously served as assistant manager. Frank led the Bees to promotion to the English Premier League in 2021 and the Dane has established the west London club in the top flight.
Gareth Southgate
The former England manager had been the bookmakers' favourite for the United job. Southgate's only previous club management role ended in the sack at Middlesbrough in 2009, but he led England to a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final as well as reaching successive European Championship finals. Earlier this month, though, Southgate said he has ruled himself out of a return to coaching for the next year.
Edin Terzic
The German-Croatian coach spent two seasons in charge of Borussia Dortmund before resigning in June. Dortmund were Bundesliga runners-up in the 2022-23 season and reached the final of last campaign's European Champions League, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
Ruben Amorim
The 39-year-old joined Sporting Lisbon in 2020 and has won two Portuguese titles. His side are unbeaten so far in this year's Primeira Liga and top the table with maximum points from nine matches. Amorin was previously linked to Liverpool and West Ham in England.
With agencies
