Luarent Blanc and other possible candidates to succeed unsettled Manchester United boss

Four defeats in the last seven games, the situation is getting worse week in and out. For a manager with no significant achievement prior to his appointment, it is a no brainer to think the club is not ready to move on.

Here, we take a look at the top six possible replacement for the under-fire United boss.

The Frenchman started to build remarkable reputation for himself immediately taking up the managerial career, leading Giroins de Bordeaux to a second place and the Ligue one title in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons respectively.

He also set in the 2008-09 season, what was the record for most consecutive wins in the French top-flight, as Bordeaux won each of their last 11 league games on their way to being crowned champions.

His outstanding spell at the French club extended to the 2009-10 Champions League, where his side topped a group containing Juventus and Bayern without losing a game and reached the quarter finals before being eliminated by fellow French club, Olympic Lyon.

He was entrusted with the job of the French National Team after his three years in Bordeaux but unfortunately, the Federation decided to suspend all the member of the squad that represented them in the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa, leaving him having to build from scratch.

Nonetheless the former Manchester United player managed to qualify them for the 2012 European Championship, and even topped the qualifying standings, but were eliminated in the quarter final of the tournament by eventual Champions, Spain. And Blanc stepped down later that month.

His reputation triggered his appointment as the manage of PSG a year later, and he dominated the Ligue one in each of his three season with Les Parisens, winning 11 out of a possible 12 local trophies in the topflight.

The 55year old has been with Qatari club Al-Rayyan since 2020 and the United job will be an offer too enticing for him to turn down if contacted, he is surely a good tactician who can get the best out of the group.

The Frenchman was with the Real Madrid Castilla between 2014 to 2016 and was appointed on a trial as the first team manager after the dismissal of Rafael Benitez in January 2016, on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The results and achievements were massive as Real Madrid remarkably won three straight Champions League titles, one league title, two UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and two club World Cup before deciding to step down at the end of the 2017-18 season.

Amidst Real Madrid struggles in the 2018-19 season under a new management, he returned to the club in March 2019 and won the league and the Spanish Super Cup in the 2019-20 season. He narrowly lost out on the league to Atletico Madrid in the 2020-21 season.

Zidane has set incredible records as a manager. He is as brilliant as he was a player, a manager. His Real Madrid side broke the record for the most number of scorers in a LaLiga season as 21 of his players found the back of the net.

He also maintained Madrid’s best defensive record in the league, one that has stood for 30 years in the 2019-20 season. His achievements far more superior than that of the current man on the job at Old Trafford, and his appointment will bring more positive to the club.

Zidane as the manager had built good relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane while in Madrid, a relationship that birth success and United could reap from it, by getting the former Balon d’Or winner to succeed Solskjær.

Along with Zinedine Zidane, Antonio Conte is another manager many believe would be perfect for Manchester United. A serial winner, who has built his reputation managing in the Premier League and the Serie A.

Orchestrated the right platform for Juventus Scudetto dominance and won three straight before leaving the club in 2014 and halted the dominance in his second season with Inter Milan, in between he had served at Chelsea.

The took charge at the Italian National Team immediately he left Juventus and enjoyed another successful spell, seeing them to a quarter final finish where they lost to Germany on penalties, and stepping down right after the tournament.

He was appointed by Chelsea and success followed again. He became the first manager to win three consecutive Manager of the Month in the Premier League between November 2016 and January 2017.

The former Atalanta manager recorded what was the most win 30, in a single Premier league season of 38 games as Chelsea won the league in his first season and the FA Cup the season after.

He was dismissed after the club finished fifth in the 2017-18 season and returned to the Serie A before the start of the 2019-20 season, transforming the Nerazzurri into title contenders and winning it in the 2020-21 season, bringing an end to Juventus dominance.

Conte indeed has a good reputation which is why many United faithful want him to take on the job. Should the club’s hierarchy decide to appoint the Italian, it will surely be good decision while it lasts.

The former Barcelona manager might look to some, a black sheep on the list after what transpired at the end of his time in Barcelona. However, that should not crowd the positives and success accredited to the manager.

He was the one who led Athletic Club to their first trophy in 31 years, when he led the side to a 5-1 aggregate win over a prime Barcelona at the start of the 2015-16 season, in the Spanish Super Cup.

He had led them to the final of the Copa del Rey before losing in the final to Barcelona the previously campaign, while also seeing them to top place finishes in the league.

Despite many branding his time at Barcelona a failure, the Spaniard won the league title in both of his full seasons, with an aging Barcelona squad. His was also responsible for several unbeaten run set by the Catalan giants in the league.

In the 2017-18 season, Barcelona almost won the league unbeaten but for their 5-4 loss to Levante in the penultimate game of the season, having rested Lionel Messi in that game, ending a run of 43 games without a loss.

The Champions League disappointment in both of his full season can be said to be down to complacent lack of depth. Even though the manager has his part in the blame, it is not all his fault.

Taking over at a team like Manchester United, who already have the players could be a great avenue to remind the world of football the reputation he had in the job, and he will surely be an upgrade on the current United Manager.

Long away from management at club level as he had been with the Germany National Team since 2006 before stepping down after the European Championship last summer, Joachim Low is another experienced top level manager United could look to appoint should they dismiss Solskjær.

The German, who started his managerial career at Stuttgart recorded a host of success for the club, even though Bayern Munich were there to halt the icing on the cake, he did prove he is a certified tactician.

He managed at a couple of teams after leaving Stuttgart before eventually being named the manager of Austrian club Tirol Innsbruck, winning for them their second and last league title before the declare bankruptcy that same season, leaving the manager unemployed again.

And finally he joined Germany in 2004 as assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann and together, they led Germany to the final of the 2006 World Cup, where they lost to Italy. Low was promoted to the post of the head coach in 2008 after Klinsmann’s departure.

He led Germany to the final of the 2008 European Championship where they lost 1-0 to Spain and at the 2010 World Cup, they lost to Spain again by a lone goal in the semi final.

In the European Championship 2012, they suffered another semi final loss to Italy and their efforts were crowned at the 2014 World Cup in Rio De Janeiro, where they went all the way to win the tournament.

He won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and Germany were disappointingly eliminated from the group stages of the 2018 World Cup and also suffered an early elimination from the 2020 European Championship before Low stepped down, becoming the longest serving international manager in Europe.

His appointment at United will be as good as anyone. A manager who is a winner and has a good attacking mindset, what is really needed to get the best out of the current crop of players at the club.

Currently unattached and will be very easy to get him in at any point in time United part ways with their Norwegian boss.

Popular for his time with Bayern Munich which did not quite end well, Nico Kovac is a talented tactician, one of the best attack minded manager out there. After all, you can not be not good and be appointed by Bayern Munich, right ?

Prior to his appointment by The Bavarians, Kovac led Frankfurt to the DFB-Pokal in 2018 where a defeated Bayern Munich, a year after losing in the final to Borussia Dortmund.

At Bayern, he won all the possible local titles, the German Super Cup and the start of the 2018-19 season and both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles in the season proper even though their Champions League campaign ended in the round of 16 to eventual Champions, Liverpool.

Seeing the impact Thomas Tuchel is having on the Chelsea side since taking over, Manchester United could explore taking the Croatian, who has a lot of prospect to thrive at a big club, the chance of leading the club.