Man United manager search: Erik ten Hag interviewed as club consider options - sources

Manchester United plan to speak to «multiple candidates» for the role of manager at Old Trafford, sources have told ESPN, after interviewing Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag earlier this week.

Paris Saint-Germain's Mauricio Pochettino, Spain coach Luis Enrique and Sevilla's Julen Lopetegui are also on the club's shortlist to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was fired in November.

Exploratory, informal talks have already taken place with a number of potential candidates to assess their interest in the post, with sources saying that associates of Pochettino have been in contact with United.

ESPN reported on March 18 that United would use this international break to accelerate their process of identifying a new manager, with club owners the Glazer family and chief executive Richard Arnold keen to finalise an appointment before the end of the season. Ten Hag, who was interviewed by Tottenham as a possible replacement for Jose Mourinho last summer, is believed to be the first to have been formally interviewed by the United hierarchy.

John Murtough, United's director of football, is leading the search for the club's fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag and Pochettino, whose teams were both eliminated alongside United at the Champions League round-of-16 stage, are the leading candidates at this stage.

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Both Ten Hag and Pochettino are under contract at their clubs until June 2023, leading to the likelihood of a compensation bill should either be chosen as Solskjaer's successor.

Sources have said that Ajax would not command a significant fee for Ten Hag due to the club's