Ex-Manchester United midfielders Roy Keane and Paul Scholes share a mutual admiration for Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone and have both claimed he should be in the Old Trafford hot-seat next season.
The Red Devils were eliminated from the Champions League by Simeone's side at the round of 16 stage after Renan Lodi's 41st minute header was enough to separate the two sides. The goal meant that the Spaniards secured a 2-1 aggregate victory after the first-leg ended 1-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
In any other circumstance there would be significant pressure on the manager's shoulders but given Ralf Rangnick is extremely unlikely to be in the dug-out next season anyway, conversation has swiftly turned to who will be in his place. United legends Keane and Scholes have both had their say on who should succeed their current German interim.
Speaking at the tail-end of last month, Keane confessed he would be keen on Simeone succeeding Rangnick at Old Trafford. The former Irish international also demanded that the United hierarchy go out and get the "right manager" regardless of whether he is in a job elsewhere or not.
"You go and get the manager you want," Keane told the Overlap Live event in February. "You should go and get the right manager you think is right for your club. People say ‘oh, somebody’s tied up with a club'. But if you really want a manager – and that’s what it’s like when you really want a player - you go and get him.
"Never mind making excuses saying he’s not available for two years. You pay fortunes for players, so why not a manager? I don’t care who's under contract; if you think he’s the right manager for Manchester United, well you go and get him. You go and pay the money whoever it might be. They’ve got to go and get the right manager."
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Keane went on to address his preferred candidate by name as he confessed he views Simeone as a coach with the right attitude to handle the pressure of United and restore the Red Devils to their former glories.
"Maybe Simeone, he’s the right kind of character. He’s having a difficult spell with Atletico. His race has maybe run with them. Simone, go and get him, he’s a big character. He’s done great things.
"He’s a great character, a big personality. He doesn’t mess around with players. Maybe someone like him coming into the club, could work. It can soon change. I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom, there’s still good things going on at United, but they’ve got to get the manager. If the manager is not right, then the rest will just fall apart."
Scholes echoed the sentiments of his former teammate after the game while on post-match punditry duty for BT Sport. The ex-England star went as far to claim that: "If Diego Simeone was managing them, United would have gone through in that game."
United bemoaned some of the officiating on the night but were ultimately beaten by the better side as Atletico held their hosts at arms length for the majority of both games, though United had more chances in Manchester than they did in Madrid.
The result means any realistic hopes of silverware for United are now all but over. In turn, it means the club's trophy drought continues, their last major honour coming in the form of the 2017 Europa League. For a club of United's stature to go so long without a trophy is undeniably damning reflection of those running things.
