Manchester United narrow search for interim manager down to five candidates as pursuit of Mauricio Pochettino hits block

According to The Telegraph, the Red Devils have identified five candidates for the role, with Ralf Rangnick, Ernesto Valverde, Lucien Favre, Rudi Garcia, plus one other foreign candidate all interviewed by the Old Trafford hierarchy in recent days

Mauricio Pochettino quickly emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked last weekend after a dreadful run of results.

But the pursuit of the Argentine has stalled with PSG seemingly blocking a move to the Premier League in mid-season.

Former Barcelona boss Valverde is one of the frontrunners to land the interim job.

The 57-year-old, who won LaLiga twice and a Copa del Rey in his two-and-a-half year spell at Barcelona, has been out of work since leaving the Camp Nou in the summer of 2020.

Ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Favre has also been earmarked as a quick fix at the club.

The 63-year-old guided Hertha Berlin from 12th to fourth within two seasons of taking over, while Borussia Monchengladbach were bottom of the league when he took charge in 2011 before he was handed the reins at Dortmund in 2018.

He was sacked in December last year, but his attacking style of play remains highly thought of by those at United.

Another option is Rangnick, who had a spell as manager of RB Leipzig and has previously held talks with United for a sporting director role at Old Traford.

As manager of RB Leipzig in 2012, he guided his side to promotion to the German top flight before stepping aside for Ralph Hasenhuttl to take charge.

Former Roma boss Rudi Garcia is also an outsider for the job, though he distanced himself from the speculation on Wednesday.

Michael Carrick could well take charge against Chelsea this weekend, but it's understood the club are hoping to have an interim manager in place at Stamford Bridge by the time of Sunday's Premier League clash.