Two huge names emerge as 'contenders' for Man Utd job after Ruben Amorim 'doubts' raised

Two high-profile candidates have emerged as possible contenders for the Manchester United job in the event of Ruben Amorim departing the club, according to reports.

Amorim has lost nine of his 21 matches in all competitions since taking charge of United in November.

There have been some encouraging signs in an away victory over Manchester City in the Premier League and Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.

But United have lost five games at Old Trafford in the Premier League, and Amorim's playing style has been called into question.

The Portuguese boss confirmed on arrival at the club that he would stick to his tactical principles, a policy he has refused to move away from even amid United's poor form.

Ruben Amorim has been in charge of Manchester United since November (Image: Getty)

Gary Neville was critical of Amorim's tactical setup in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, particularly in his deployment of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes - albeit the only two senior midfielders available - in central midfield.

The Daily Mail claimed earlier this week that some unnamed United players have 'doubts' over Amorim's tactics - and Spanish outlet Fichajes now claiming that three high-profile managers have been identified in the event of the Portuguese boss departing United.

It is also claimed that they have 'begun to evaluate possible alternatives for the dugout' ahead of next season - though there is no indication that they have changed their backing of the manager at this stage.

The report names Zinedine Zidane, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino as the alternatives.

The report, however, goes against what has previously been reported on Amorim's future, with suggestions that club chiefs were relaxed about any poor form between now and the end of the season, with all focus on next summer's transfer window.

It also appears unlikely that Tuchel, who reportedly turned down United once last summer, would have changed his mind over the role after taking the England job on an 18-month contract.

Man Utd sit 15th in the Premier League title (Image: Getty)

Pochettino, meanwhile, is the head coach of the United States national team and was reportedly not considered when United replaced Erik ten Hag, with Zidane the only one of those three names out of work.

United were unable to spend big in January due to concerns over the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, though did manage to bring in Patrick Dorgu from Lecce for a fee of around £36 million.

On the outgoings front, the club allowed Antony and Marcus Rashford to leave on loan deals but did not replace them, with Amad's subsequent ankle injury - that has reportedly caused concern he will miss the rest of the season - leaving Amorim painfully short in attacking options.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the Spurs defeat, Neville claimed that Amorim would need 'two or three transfer windows' to recruit the correct players for his 3-4-3 system.

He said: "He's said, 'I'm not going to change'. He's going to play 3-4-3. It just didn't work [against Tottenham].

"I understand his problems, he's got the players he's got, lots of young players on the bench. But there must be a different solution. There are different ways of dealing with it.

"It's a peculiar system, and how long will it take Amorim to find the players to play it? You're asking for specialists. It's going to be a minimum of two or three transfer windows."