It all looks to be going wrong at Manchester United. After a transfer window where they failed to bring in any of Jose Mourinho’s top targets, they have made a poor start to the season, and have won just one of their opening three games.
This was always going to be a big season for the club. Last season, they saw their neighbours across the city run away with the title and playing some of the best football that the Premier League has ever seen.
There was a lot of pressure on them to at least close the gap on Manchester City, and play better football than last season, that often left their fans less than impressed. The pressure also comes from the recent improvement from rivals Liverpool, who reached the Champions League final last season and have bought well to strengthen their squad.
It is also a massive season for Mourinho, who is starting a crucial third season. His record in his third season at clubs in notoriously bad, most recently in his second spell at Chelsea, where he was sacked before Christmas after making a shocking start to the campaign.
1. Zinedine Zidane
No manager in world football has had more success over the last few years than Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman enjoyed a sensational two and a half years at Real Madrid, where he won three consecutive Champions League titles, becoming the first team to do so in the modern era.
However, he left Real in the summer, which came as a surprise to many given the volume of success he had in his time in charge at the Bernabeu. If he were to come to United now, he would be taking over a team in crisis, and make no mistake about it, United are a team in crisis.
2. Antonio Conte
This sounds like a strange one, but it almost makes sense. In his first season with Chelsea, Conte was a great success, taking the club from 10thto the title, where they played some brilliant football, and he led a successful transition to the 3-4-3 formation.
Obviously, it was a pretty disastrous second season at Stamford Bridge, even though he won the FA Cup. He appeared to lose the dressing room and missed out on Champions League qualification.
3. Diego Simeone
This may seem like an outside bet at this stage, and it probably is, but there are a number of reasons why United should consider Simeone as their new manager. What he has achieved at Atletico Madrid is nothing short of extraordinary.
In terms of stature, and financially, they are a million miles behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, but somehow, under Simeone, the clubs are in a very similar position on the pitch. He has taken them to two Champions League finals and won the title in the 2013/14 season.