Brucey has reached out to some media contacts…
And so the search begins. Manchester United are looking for for their fifth permanent manager in the post-Ferguson era, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked the day after a 4-1 humiliation at the hands of relegation battlers Watford. We had Luis Enrique rule himself out already, so how about Steve Bruce?
The writing had been on the wall for a while and a better run club would have made the decision two humiliations prior, before the international break, affording themselves more time to find a replacement. Alas, United are not a well run club.
The list of potential replacements includes the likes of Zinedine Zidane, who is currently out of work, as well as PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax’s Erik Ten Hag. But securing any of these targets would entail a tough period of negotiations, especially mid-season with both the aforementioned club in significantly better form than United right now.
Steve Bruces makes his Manchester United pitch
A more logical plan, as laid out in United’s statement on Sunday morning, might be to bring in an interim manager until the end of the season, at which point they can look for a more prestigious, longer-term appointment.
And who better for that role than another former Manchester United player from the glory days of the 1990s?
As reported by the Athletic, Steve Bruce is keen on the vacant role at Old Trafford and believes he could ‘stabilise the dressing room.’ The club are said to be considering an interim appointment until the end of the season, but that pitch from Bruce is fanciful, considering how Newcastle fell off a cliff in his final season.
Bruce was recently let go by Newcastle United following the completion of the Saudi-led takeover. It feels unlikely that the club will bring in a manager so closely associated with fighting relegation and the negative football that scarred the St James’ faithful, but recent history shows they do love a nostalgic appointment.
Solskjaer tributes back in Norway
All the while, tributes have been pouring in from United fans over the past 24 hours, with Solskjaer also conducting a heartfelt interview with the club’s social media channels in which he bid an emotional farewell to the fans.
And the latest grand tribute comes from Solskjaer’s hometown of Kristiansund, where a ’20 Legend’ sign has been lit up on a hilltop, like a twee Hollywood sign.
Home is where the heart is. It is where Solskjaer is returning to as he licks his wounds and reflects on three wild years.
