Manchester United will begin a crucial three-month period when they face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday. What happens between now and the end of the season will have a critical impact on the big decisions that must be made by United’s owners, the Glazer family, and recently appointed chief executive Richard Arnold.
The Premier League’s most successful club — 13 titles since 1993, but none since 2013 — not only have to recruit a new permanent manager to replace Ralf Rangnick, who has been in interim charge since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in November, but also identify and sign much-needed reinforcements for a squad that is likely to lose a number of out of contract players this summer. There are also big question marks over the futures of players with contracts which run beyond the end of this season including Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
United’s 4-2 win at Leeds on Sunday enabled Rangnick’s team to open up a four-point lead on their rivals in the race for the Premier League’s fourth spot and their crucial objective of Champions League qualification remains open via two routes: a top-four finish or winning this season’s competition in Saint Petersburg on May 28.
Missing out on next season’s Champions League next season will only make it more difficult for United to attract the calibre of manager and players they need to enable the team to compete for major honours again, but regardless of their European fate, the Glazers and Arnold have some big issues address.
– How Man United got Cristiano Ronaldo to return
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
The manager
This is the No. 1 issue that must be addressed by United and the one which will dictate what happens with every other football-related decision at Old Trafford.
Sources have told ESPN that no manager is yet regarded as the favoured candidate, with the Glazers and Arnold determined…
Source : espn
