Manchester United have been forced to accept that coaching prodigy Julian Nagelsmann will not be their next manager.
The Bayern Munich boss would reportedly succeed Ralf Rangnick "in an ideal world" but the Red Devils admit that enticing Nagelsmann out of Germany at this stage would be a tough ask. The 34-year-old took charge in Bavaria last summer and Sky Sports claim that he would be unwilling to leave until a more "stable" opportunity in the Premier League arises.
Naglesmann has made his name as one of the Bundesliga 's best tacticians in recent years since being handed the manager's job at Hoffenheim aged only 29. A self-confessed United supporter as a child, it was hoped that the German could succeed Rangnick - who is set to stay at Old Trafford in a consultancy role for the next two years from the end of the season - just as his did following the 63-year-old's interim spell as RB Leipzig boss in 2019.
But to rub salt in the Red Devils' wounds, Nagelsmann is believed to view replacing Pep Guardiola at Manchester City or Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool as better options to progress his career, although the Bayern manager was inspired by Rangnick's coaching philosophy and wished him luck after his appointment in December.
"I texted him and told him I think it's great," Nagelsmann revealed at a press conference. "He will do United very well with the way he plays football. I believe that United will play good games in the next few weeks and I wish he’ll stay there longer than just next summer."
The young boss' predicament leaves United assessing a four-man shortlist, with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag remaining the frontrunners ahead of Luis Enrique and Julian Lopetegui. In recent weeks, it has emerged that Ten Hag is the club's preferred pick, but Pochettino facing the sack at Paris Saint-Germain could alter their approach.
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Pochettino has already proven his credentials as a Premier League manager, receiving plaudits for his work during his five-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur. But he has underwhelmed at a rudderless PSG, a club with similar deep-running issues to the Red Devils. Ten Hag, on the other hand, is yet to make the step up from Dutch football with Ajax.
The 52-year-old has garnered praise for his free-flowing football in the Eredivisie and Champions League, but it remains to be seen whether he can translate that to an elite level such as the Premier League. One thing going for Ten Hag, however, is Rangnick's favourability, who recently heaped praise on him.
"Obviously, I see the development at Ajax since he's been there," he told Sky Sports. "I know a little bit about his work when he was with Bayern Munich [reserves] and that he is one of the top coaches in Europe that's obvious but there are a few other top coaches. As I said, we haven't spoken about any new manager so far, therefore we also didn't speak about him."
