Gareth Southgate and the FA have encouraged Zinedine Zidane to take over from Jose Mourinho as soon as possible.
So the likelihood is that, at least in the short term, the coaching seat at Manchester United will remain filled by the current incumbent.
That could be especially true at this time of year, since the Italian and British managers clearly make it onto everyone’s short list of candidates for the job.
But English coaches are not always the obvious choice of a potential manger, especially for clubs that have accumulated a large pool of internal candidates, and inevitably there will be one or two who will make some sense for United and are deemed more prepared and technically advanced.
Jose Mourinho himself has said his assistants are ready to take on that position, and that the current players are ready to play under the Portuguese coach for the remainder of the season.
Of course that would mean the players are well versed in his tactics by now.
But that can only be the case for so long before all of the pre-season starts and Mourinho’s methods can be questioned. As things stand, Mourinho and his team have done a very good job of dominating matches, and leading contenders for the Premier League title.
Mourinho and Southgate work closely together with the latter often travelling to the former’s next opponents while the former has made use of the midfielder himself.
The ever-trusty Michael Carrick has come out of the shadows to take the reigns from the Portuguese coach after being named as interim caretaker manager for four matches.
The 38-year-old was given the full-time role just prior to Saturday’s match with the Basel side.
And Carrick’s involvement with the team as a leader and a playmaker could be key to United’s progress in the remainder of the season as their season’s struggle to properly blend the world class players with the young ones who have to start their careers under Mourinho.
The former England international has made a positive impression on the team in his recent stint in the manager’s role, and his job could get more difficult as he takes on the role full-time.
Newcastle United are the next opponents for the Red Devils in the Premier League, and the Magpies will be hoping to do United a favour in their quest to stay up and avoiding a home loss to their closest rivals.
Whatever the case, this is a defining period for United’s campaign as they will head into the Christmas period still nine points off the pace.
Failure to improve that haul over the next few weeks might just be the beginning of a slide out of the top four, with many expecting relegation to be possible.
But they have the chance to move into pole position in the eyes of the management and board by taking a maximum three points from their next two fixtures.
Michael Carrick can thank FIFA and the fifth referee for his first winning start in the Man Utd dugout as he grabs the reins for the remainder of the season.
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