Ernesto Valverde's "bitter" Aymeric Laporte rows show Man Utd what to expect

Former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next manager at Manchester United.

The Red Devils opened talks with the Spaniard this week with a view to appointing him to the Old Trafford hotseat on an initial interim basis for the remainder of the campaign.

A host of managers have been linked to the coaching vacancy at United following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but Valverde is now a leading contender due to his availability, experience and skillset.

United have approached Paris Saint-Germain regarding Mauricio Pochettino's availability but United may not be able to appoint the Argentine the middle of the season, forcing them to assess other options.

The former Barca boss has now been speaking about his coaching styles and influences, hinting at what he may be able to bring to the Old Trafford role should he be appointed.

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He has spoken about the time when he was boss at Athletic Bilbao and he was coaching the highly-rated defender Aymeric Laporte, who joined Manchester City in January 2018.

The central defender was arguably the Basque club's biggest playing asset at the time but Valverde revealed how he got the best out of the player despite their "bitter" arguments over training.

Valverde explained to LaLigaTV's Talking Football show that he did not immediately take to Laporte, saying: "Well, for example, a player who I argued with a bit at first about certain things.

"He was very young and I was demanding, and we had arguments. Not big ones, but player versus coach and in time, he got more involved.

"It was Aymeric Laporte, who is with Manchester City.

"He made his debut with Athletic (when he was) very young, he has some incredible qualities.

"At first, when I arrived, I wanted him to play a certain way and demanded certain things from him.

"I even tried to help him improve and we had arguments, some more bitter than others.

"But he is a player, who, in time, became a huge player for Athletic, as he is now for Manchester City and the national team.

"And we have a great relationship. But I didn't ever not get along with him."

Valverde enjoyed huge success at Athletic Bilbao, guiding them to the Champions League in 2014 - for the first time in three decades - and winning the Spanish Supercopa the following year; success which led to his appointment at Barcelona in 2017.

The experienced Valverde won the title in La Liga in each of his two full seasons in charge alongside a Copa del Rey title and Spanish Supercopa during his time at the Catalan giants, winning 97 of his 145 matches at the helm.

Valverde's coaching career has also included stints at Espanyol, Villarreal and Valencia alongside two spells in charge of Olympiacos - with whom he won five trophies including three league titles in Greece.

Watch the full interview with Ernesto Valverde on LaLigaTV's Talking Football show with Guillem Balagué on 25th November at 7:30PM GMT. Sign up to LaLigaTV with Premier Sports on Sky 427 / Virgin 554 or via streaming with Premier Player and Amazon Prime Video Channels.