Manchester United must listen to fans' unanimous message on Erik ten Hag

Manchester United haven't had a lot to get excited about this season. The club's season in the Premier League and very optimistic title challenge was over well before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal in November and, with the club now out of every cup competition, it just seems like it's going to be a weekly slog to get to the end of a disappointing year.

The one bright spark, however, has come in planning for next season, with United fans speculating who they want as their next permanent manager. Because it's always good to look to the future and hope for better.

The Manchester Evening News understands that Erik ten Hag has been interviewed for the role by United but the club wants to interview all potential candidates before they make a decision. Their shortlist also includes Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, with Julen Lopetegui ruling himself out of contention.

READ MORE: Manchester United sent overwhelming verdict on who should become their next manager

Pochettino is one of the frontrunners in the race but when the MEN asked the fans who they would prefer, there was a definitive winner. The survey was carried out with around 21,000 of our readers and the results were as follows:

Ten Hag is the clear favourite but how lowly Pochettino ranks is cause for concern especially as a number of journalists, such as Fabrizio Romano and Jonathan Shrager have revealed that another Premier League club and a club from Germany may also be interested in appointing the manager. Meaning that if United miss out on the Dutchman they could risk angering the fan base.

With his distinctive style of play and the stature he has earned during his time at Ajax, he is among the most promising up-and-coming managers in world football and