Jose Mourinho was given his marching orders on Tuesday after a tumultuous third season at Manchester United.
While he won a few secondary trophies and guided United to second in the league last season, Mourinho was constantly in the news for the wrong reasons.
Going down 3-1 to Liverpool was too much to handle for the United hierarchy, who now have to search for a new boss.
But who will it be?
We look at three strong candidates who could take over on a full-time basis, as United are set to announce a caretaker manager for the rest of the season in a few days’ time…
Zinedine Zidane
The French wizard is the obvious man to take charge at Old Trafford, having won three successive Champions League titles with Real Madrid, before stepping down at the end of last season.
But would Zidane be up for the intense scrutiny at Manchester United and in England, where the league is also much more competitive than La Liga?
Also, would he be given the licence to bring in some big-name stars to revitalise the team, something Mourinho was not allowed in the last transfer window?
Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentinian has developed a slick outfit at Spurs, and even got them over the line to get through to the Champions League last-16 via a draw against Barcelona away.
But how serious are Tottenham of competing with the big European clubs? They failed to sign anyone during the transfer window to support the likes of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.
So, a chance to do just that at a “bigger” club like Manchester United may prove to be tempting for Pochettino.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino may hope to compete with the big clubs in Europe at Manchester United. Photo: Andy Rain/EPA
Massimiliano Allegri
He’s already an institution at Juventus, having won the last four Serie A titles. The 51-year-old Allegri has build a formidable line-up in Turin, which was boosted by the pre-season arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.
He is chasing a Champions League crown, having twice taken Juventus to the final – in 2015 and 2017.
If he achieves that goal with Juve this season, he might be willing to undertake a fresh challenge at Old Trafford.
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