New challenger to Van Gaal in next Man Utd manager race

The saying and recognisable Aaliyah song lyric “If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself and try again” certainly applies to Manchester United in their usage of Sir Alex Ferguson when searching for a new manager.

After Fergie’s insight proved so accurate that David Moyes was the right man to walk in his shoes, the Red Devils are giving Sir Alex the chance to redeem himself by including him in the preliminaries again.

And this could be the chief reason that Carlo Ancelotti has emerged as the main rival to odds-on favourite Louis van Gaal to be the next permanent Man Utd manager.

The latest betting has Van Gaal priced at 8/11, with current Real Madrid boss Ancelotti next at 5/1. It is 12/1 bar.

Reports from Sky Italy indicate that Sir Alex met with Ancelotti at a private dinner last year and the Italian was asked to take over at Old Trafford.

The pair are known to have a good relationship, although the two-time Champions League-winning boss does still have another two years to run on his contract in Madrid.

Much could hinge on whether Ancelotti can guide Real to their first Champions League trophy in over a decade this season, with defending champions Bayern Munich their opposition in the semi finals.

Real Madrid managers have a track record of short tenures, with Ancelotti already their third longest-serving boss in terms of games since 2004, despite this still being his first season.

Therefore, he may be more willing to leave if the Champions League is won, believing business is complete at the Bernabeu.

The speculation is that Man Utd have a three-name shortlist drawn to be Moyes’ successor, with Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid the final candidate.

For this reason alone, Simeone is arguably worth a speculative bet at 18/1 to be the next Man Utd manager.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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