Manchester United finally have a clean slate, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer out of the door. But the future seems more convoluted than at any time in the eight years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
The club have appointed a caretaker manager — Michael Carrick — and will then appoint an interim manager, ahead of ultimately hiring a permanent manager.
So what state are they in? What are their options? And what will they do next?
Michael Carrick has been appointed as Manchester United caretaker manager following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday
Did Carrick make a mark on Day one?
Yes. There was an immediate sign that he understood which senior players have major concerns about United’s crisis.
Though he spoke to a number of players one-to-one yesterday, it was notable that he took Bruno Fernandes to one side for a lengthy chat at breakfast, away from the other players in the Carrington canteen.
Could he still be in charge next summer?
Should United win at Villarreal tonight and then beat Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of five days — which is of course extremely unlikely — there will be demands for Carrick to continue. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward loves decisions that might make him Mr Popular and would leap at such a chance.
The former United midfielder will be in charge for the game agains Villarreal on Tuesday
But thoughtful, personable and a club legend though Carrick might be, that would not be a progressive move. Don’t forget he helped deliver the deeply primitive tactical systems which have seen United crash and burn. He was either as oblivious to United’s inadequacy as Solskjaer, or fearful of speaking up to challenge the orthodoxy.
Given that the Norwegian is one of the most humane, collegiate managers we have ever known in the Premier League, it is hard to be convinced that Carrick worried about saying his piece.
Who are the candidates for interim manager?
Zinedine Zidane’s name was immediately touted, though he was not remotely interested.
He is not especially driven by money, he doesn’t believe his English is good enough and his wife is understood not to be keen on such a move either. The 49-year-old is thought to want more time out of the game, six months after ending his second spell at Real Madrid. That’s a bullet dodged for United. Though his English is actually better than many realise, Zidane never really brought any marked improvement in young players during his time at Madrid — and it’s a myth that their football was always brilliant under him.
Zinedine Zidane is available at the moment but is reportedly unwilling to move to England
Who would the best temporary choice be?
Mark Hughes, a playing legend with the club. It will be three years next week since his departure from Southampton began his extended period out of the game, so it would perhaps be easier to persuade him to be a caretaker than it once would have been.
Rafa Benitez was in a similar position, two years out of the game after leaving Inter Milan, when he took over as Chelsea’s stand-in in November 2012. Both parties benefited.
Unlike Solskjaer and Carrick, Hughes would bring a facility to actually coach and tactical strategies. His brief 18 months as Manchester City manager from 2008 should not be an obstruction. City treated him shabbily and he certainly isn’t connected to them.
Mark Hughes has emerged as a potential candidate for the interim manager role
Other ex-United candidates would be Steve Bruce, whose methods left many Newcastle United players deeply sceptical about him, and Laurent Blanc — or ‘Larry White’ as he’s popularly known among
