Manchester United officially confirmed that the selection process has begun, so reports of new managers have poured in. Ajax boss Tenhag is a popular candidate for the red devils' future manager, and the British media said that he has begun to learn English, but he may not be able to contact Manchester United in the short term, because his team is facing a fierce title battle.
In midweek, Ajax beat Alkmaar 2-0 to reach the Dutch Cup final, which will take place on 17 April against another Eredivisie giants, Eindhoven, who beat the Forward Eagles 2-1 to advance.
It is worth mentioning that Eindhoven is also the biggest rival of Ajax's Eredivisie champions. Tenhag's side currently top the table with 57 points in 24 rounds, but Eindhoven are only two points behind and can change the ranking with a single game. Moreover, Ajax has suffered back-to-back setbacks recently, with the Champions League being tied 2-2 by Benfica and the league losing 2-1 to the Forward Eagles.
Therefore, when referring to his future, Tenghag said: "At the moment I only think about Ajax's work and have no further ideas for the future. The point is this season, and now I shouldn't be the protagonist of the discussion, the theme should be: How do we win the championship?"
Ajax's next fixtures this month will be challenged, with the Champions League second leg deciding whether they can continue to qualify and the league facing third-placed Feyenoord. Tenhag said: "The season has only really started now."
As the competition in the Eredivisie intensifies, Tenhag must be more focused, shutting out United's negotiations for the time being, or he will allow himself to be criticized for not paying attention.
According to the British "Daily Mail", Manchester United's new president Richard Arnold is eager to appoint a new manager for Manchester United as soon as the season ends at the end of May, but the fierce competition in Dutch football will leave Tenhag with no time to divide, in this regard, he is not as good as another popular candidate - Paris Saint-Germain's Pochettino, whose team is far ahead in Ligue 1 with a huge advantage of 15 points, the only thing to desperately fight is the Champions League, more free time.
However, Pochettino's management of Manchester United also has other obstacles. Leonardo, the sporting director of Paris, said publicly this week that the club had never contacted Zidane and that Uncle Bo had not said he was leaving. Leonardo told the French newspaper: "We have never been in contact with Zidane or any manager, before coaching us, Pochettino was one of the top five managers in the world, and now is. Despite what's going on, you can see the team's progress. I see Pochettino is very engaged, is he happy in Paris? yes. I think he inevitably had moments of doubt, but he never asked to leave."
Leonardo added: "He has had difficult periods, such as being infected with covid-19, and there are many rumors of leaving the team. But he said no club was looking for him and no one was calling us. I have no conflict with Pochettino, we are open and honest, and some can be discussed."
Meanwhile, Ancelotti was also considered by United this week, with Sir Alexis reportedly recommending him to coach. According to the "Transfer Window Podcast", Manchester United's new president Alexander-Arnold had made initial contact with An Shuai two weeks ago.
It is reported that the Manchester United giants told Ancelotti that the club believes that he is experienced and proven to allow the existing squad to play at the best level, especially the superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who has worked with in the past. An Shuai did not reject Manchester United's interest, and listened to the other side's statement, and also believed that he had the ability to take Manchester United well. People familiar with the Italian coach revealed that he has long had ambitions to coach Manchester United, and he was also looked for ten years ago before he retired, but it is a pity that Real Madrid has already made a quick start.
Ancelotti is not unhappy with Real Madrid, but Florentino Perez may be unhappy with an American Champions League result. If the Galacticos sack him, then the United invitation is more likely, because it does not cost any damage fees, which is more cost-effective.