Zidane to reunite with Ronaldo? 3 contenders who can replace Solskjaer as new Manchester United manager

The writing was on the wall for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after Manchester United's 5-0 thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals Liverpool in the Premier League earlier this year. While United did bounce back with a 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in their next game, their happiness was short-lived as they lost 2-0 against neighbours Manchester City in their next Premier League outing.

However, Solskjaersurvived the humbling and it seemed United were persistent in giving him a chance to spark a turnaround. But it wasn't meant to be as a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Watford on Saturday meant Solskjaer's time at Old Trafford came to a sad end.

Solskjaer was officially sacked by Manchester United on Sunday (November 21), marking an end to his trophyless stint at the club. United are currently reportedly looking for an interim option for the managerial position for the rest of the season before announcing Solskjaer's permanent successor.

Here is a look at three top contenders who can become the new Manchester United manager:

Zinedine Zidane

France legend Zinedine Zidane is one of the favourites to become the new manager of Manchester United. Zidane has so far had only two managerial spells in his career and both have come with Real Madrid. He boasts of a glorious CV as a manager having won three successive Champions League titleswith Real Madrid but he has not had the experience of managing anywhere else apart from Spain.

Zidane enjoys a great relationship with Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from his time at Real Madrid and the duo could soon reunite at Old Trafford. Zidane has so far managed 183 games and has a win percentage of 67.8%.

Erik Ten Hag

Erik Ten Hag's name has also been doing the rounds for the top job at Manchester United. The Dutch manager is currently the head coach of Ajax and has been incredibly successful in the Eredivisie. His stature has only grown as Ajax continue to be a force to reckon with in the Champions League where they made it to the semi-finals in the 2018-19 season.

Ten Hag has so far managed 206 games in his managerial career and has a win percentage of over 65%. However, it has been reported that he is not too keen on leaving Ajax midway through the season and it will be difficult for the Manchester United board to persuade him to head to England.

Brendan Rodgers

A proven name in the Premier League, Rodgers made his comeback to the English top-flight with Leicester City in 2019 after leaving the Celtic job. Rodgers had earlier almost inspired Liverpool to a title triumph in the 2013-14 season but the Merseyside outfit could only finish at the second spot after slipping up late in the title race.

Rodgers has not won the Premier League yet but won the FA Cup in the 2020-21 season and led Celtic to back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles in 2017 and 2018. He has managed 360 games and has a win percentage of 55.6%.