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TL;DR news on Manchester United at August 28, 2023

For a complete ESPN.com experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC 327d Man United's options to replace Solskjaer: Pochettino, Rodgers, Zidane .. The Ligue 1 club, one of the richest in the world, is expected to demand a huge compensation package if they even entertain an approach from United. Regardless, Pochettino's record of developing an exciting young team at Tottenham has made him the favoured choice of United's top brass, so they must now decide whether they are ready to take on PSG. United would not want to be seen as hiring a man who was sacked by their biggest rivals, but Rodgers improved Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester, confirming he has the track record United need. In terms of a proven, safe pair of hands, Blanc would bring experience and knowledge as an interim manager, but don't expect him to be on United's list for a permanent manager right now. He is a clear outsider in any list of candidates, but even with a World Cup on the horizon, it would be a big call for an Englishman to reject the opportunity of managing Manchester United. His sixth goal in five Champions League games, followed by Jadon Sancho's first goal since joining from Borussia Dortmund, means United will be in the hat for the last 16 in the new year. The first half, which began with the travelling United fans singing in support of Solskjaer, ended with the Spanish side having had more possession and nine shots to United's three. But with United knowing that a victory against Villarreal could all but seal their place in the last 16 despite an indifferent campaign, he is now focused on trying to revive their season. The United board might not be so susceptible to each passing tide if there were somebody there who grasped modern football. His status dwarfs all else and that leads to a compunction, not to use him as an impact sub or only in matches in which United are likely to dominate the ball, but to play him in the majority of games. NAME: Chuck Booth PICK: Villarreal 1, Manchester United 2 MAN OF THE MATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo WHY: With Ole out the door, a return to basics will see Manchester United take care of business with Mr. Open Privacy Options Ronaldo said on Twitter: "He's been my striker when I first came to Old Trafford and he's been my coach since I came back to Man United. However, after a summer of investment into the playing squad, United slipped to eighth in the Premier League and the former striker was relieved of his duties. Rounding out the list are Inter Miami, currently owned by David Beckham with former United teammate Phil Neville at the helm as manager. "Manchester United talk regularly about building digital communities; I've been very critical of them in recent weeks, they seem to look a lot at algorithms, analytics and the sentiment of fans. "Manchester United will always be here, people will come and go, but the club will always be here irrespective of the personnel who are transient through it. Zakaria, 24, has a contract which expires in 2022 and has been linked with a host of top clubs including the two LaLiga giants, Juventus, PSG, Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and Man City. Paul Pogba, Dean Henderson, Donny van de Beek, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones are on the list to depart, either on loan or permanently, as United seek to raise funds for new arrivals. He was left out by manager Gareth Southgate for the last two qualifiers against Albania and San Marino along with United teammate Jadon Sancho. Sources have told ESPN that Lingard and his representatives have been left frustrated by some of their dealings with United. Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher, Robbie Keane and Richards discussed who could lead step in and Richards brought up former United captain Keane. "You wouldn't have thought of that 15 years ago but now you're talking about basically challenging Manchester City and Liverpool but certainly Manchester City. As things stand, though, only Norwich City and Newcastle United, the bottom two teams in the division, have conceded more goals this season than United. Ronaldo was snapped by MEN photographers driving away from the Carrington training base in his Bentley car, as United's squad convened ahead of this weekend's Watford clash. Pogba is currently out injured with a thigh problem but the French World Cup winner has never scaled the expected heights since returning to United in 2016. Qualifying is yet to finish in the Americas, with an extra international window sanctioned in January throwing a spanner in the works of United's preparations that month. Prior to his arrival, Depay had enjoyed an excellent 2014 World Cup under Van Gaal and there was real optimism that the pair could rekindle their fruitful relationship in Manchester. The form of both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial meant Depay suddenly became something of an afterthought at United as he struggled to cement his place in the starting XI. Savicevic effortlessly danced around United's players and seemingly every passage of play came through the playmaker.