Despite suffering embarrassing back-to-back home defeats against Liverpool and Man City, losing 5-0 and 2-0 respectively, Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains at the helm of Old Trafford. However, this does not mean his job isn't under pressure.
In fact, according to the Sun, a "leading agent" has been tasked with exploring the best candidates for the Theatre of Dreams job should the current Norwegian coach be relieved of his duties, with four names in particular being shortlisted for the position. Of the four, one has been highlighted as the favorite and that man is Brendan Rodgers.
The Northern Irishman is one of the most highly-rated managers in the Premier League, having drastically improved Leicester since arriving at the King Power Stadium after his successful spell at Celtic. Last season, he led the Foxes to an FA Cup win, their first title since Ranieri's unforgettable Premier League victory in 2015/16. They beat the champions of Europe Chelsea at Wembley before getting their hands on the Community Shield crown in this season's curtain raiser, overcoming Man City this time around.
Despite Rodgers' achievements, he finds himself top of the four-man shortlist mainly due to circumstances. One of the other candidates was Antonio Conte; however, the revered Italian was not willing to wait for the position to become vacant and thus opted to join Tottenham when offered the chance to succeed the sacked Nuno Espírito Santo.
Zinedine Zidane was also shortlisted, having led Real Madrid to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, a feat no other club has come close to achieving. Despite being out of work since stepping down from his second spell as manager at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Frenchman turned down the interest as he has no intentions of taking on the mantle at Man United.
The final man to be shortlisted was highly-rated Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, who is receiving rave reviews thanks to his Dutch side's dominant displays both domestically and in Europe. However, the agent tasked with sounding out candidates was met with reluctance from the Eredivisie tactician.
As a result, Brendan Rodgers was recommended as the "leading agent" believes the Leicester gaffer can be pried away from the King Power Stadium. However, this has brought about an issue as the former Liverpool boss is said to have both supporters and detractors among the Old Trafford higher-ups.
As for now, Solskjaer remains in charge, with the Norwegian working hard to turn things around. The Red Devils sit in sixth, nine points behind league leaders Chelsea, and are set to take on Watford in the Premier League straight after the international break. While this should be a straightforward fixture for the English giants, the following two games won't be as kind as Cristiano and Co. will take on Chelsea and Arsenal after their showdown with the Hornets.
