Real Madrid head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has emerged as a surprise candidate to become the next manager of Manchester United.
The Real Madrid head coach is not one of the leading candidates for the position but is viewed as a possible back-up if the club fail to land one of their top targets, such as Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, or Luis Enrique.
The Italian, 62, who has a close relationship with the former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is coming under pressure in Madrid after his team lost 1-0 to Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie a fortnight ago.
It would be recalled that Ancelotti left the Premier League last summer, where he was in charge of Everton, in order to return to Real Madrid for a second stint.
For Manchester United, It has been a season of turmoil despite high hopes when the club announced the signings of Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho before making a spectacular swoop to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
While they were initially tipped to be part of a title race, they are now overseen by an interim manager following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking and are continuing to struggle for results despite a star-studded side.
The club are expected to announce a permanent boss in the summer, and while Ancelotti is among the contenders, the top target remains Mauricio Pochettino.
Erik ten Hag and Luis Enrique are also thought to be ahead of Ancelotti in the pecking order, but should they be unattainable, the Italian may be next in line.