Rudi Garcia responds to Man Utd manager links after holding talks over move

Rudi Garcia has only added further fuel to the fire with his latest comments on speculation linking him with the Manchester United job until the end of the season.

The Frenchman has reportedly been added to a six-man shortlist of candidates deemed worthy enough to guide the club through these troubled times before handing over to a manager more suited to the role on a long-term, permanent basis.

Following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's sacking on Sunday morning, United confirmed in a statement that they are looking for an interim boss for the short-term.

United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and managing director Richard Arnold opted against travelling to Spain for Tuesday's clash with Villarreal, instead interviewing candidates for the role.

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When faced with questions over the truth behind rumours linking him with the role, Garcia hardly quashed the speculation.

The former Lille boss said: "I am not used to commenting on rumours in my career. I will say nothing on the subject. I neither confirm nor deny."

Were he to get the gig, Garcia will already have some fans in the red half of Manchester, after being in charge of Lyon when they dumped Man City out of the Champions League last year at the quarter-final stage.

Despite being one of the lesser-known managers on United's shortlist, Garcia's track record is nothing to be scoffed at.

During the 2010/11 season, Garcia inspired Lille to a remarkable league and cup double, all the while playing progressive, attractive and attacking football.

He eventually left the Ligue 1 outfit to try his hand in Serie A, where though he ended up without a trophy, his Roma sides undeniably overachieved - three successive second-placed finishes behind Turin titans Juventus.

Garcia eventually called time on his spell in Rome and upped sticks to the south of France to lead Marseille, whom he guided to the Europa League final in 2018.

Two years at Lyon duly followed, the highlight undeniably a last-eight victory over Manchester City, before his side were beaten in the semi-final clash with Bayern Munich.

A quadrilingual - Garcia's ability to speak French, English, Spanish and Italian will undoubtedly come in handy were he tasked with inspiring the Old Trafford dressing room out of their recent slump.

Over the course of a managerial career that has spanned two decades, Garcia boasts a 48.3 per-cent win record across his stints at seven different clubs.

Six of those seven have come in his native France, meaning there could be concerns over Garcia's ability to translate his style in the English top-flight.