Manchester United Have Already Interviewed Erik Ten Hag For Manager Vacancy

Manchester United have made their first big move in filling the vacant managerial position at the club, by interviewing candidate Erik ten Hag.

United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in November and then replaced him with Ralf Rangnick until the end of the season.

Rumours have persisted ever since with who might be the next permanent boss, with Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino the most often mentioned replacements.

That pair have also been grouped with Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique on the shortlist for the job, but now the Premier League side have made a move.

According to the Daily Mail, they interviewed Ten Hag on Monday, the first formal discussion that has been held for the vacant role.

Ten Hag is now considered favourite for the job. Image: PA Images

The report says that United are 'urging caution' over the news and the idea that Ten Hag could be the man to take the club forward.

That's because it is only the beginning of the formal discussions and the club hope to speak to other potential candidates in the near future.

Football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher have started the search for the new boss and are hoping to have made their final decision by the end of April.

It's not clear what role, if any, Rangnick will have in the recruitment. The German is said to have a two year 'consultancy role' after his time as interim boss finishes, but that hasn't been clearly defined.

52-year-old Ten Hag is expected to be leaving Ajax in the summer but the Eredivisie side are still involved in a title race with PSV and probably won't want too many distractions for their manager.

Pochettino has also been heavily linked with United. Image: PA Images

He had become the preferred candidate for many fans, ahead of Pochettino, after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

Since then though Ten Hag has suffered his own exit in Europe, with Benfica knocking out his side just a week later.

At the moment United would likely have to pay a higher fee for Pochettino than they would Ten Hag, with the two men still in jobs, however Poch is expected to lose his job this summer, in the wake of Real loss.

Thomas Tuchel is not thought to be on United's radar now, having previously been linked with the job due to the uncertainty at Chelsea, with the club accepting it would be too difficult to make the appointment.