Manchester United should target Erik ten Hag over Mauricio Pochettino, Jamie Carragher insists

Erik ten Hag is among the favourites for the Manchester United job

Manchester United should appoint Erik Ten Hag as the club’s next manager over Mauricio Pochettino, Jamie Carragher has said, despite both coaches crashing out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage.

United were knocked out the Champions League themselves following a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford, a result that condemned the club to a fifth season in a row without a trophy.

It leaves United requiring a late scramble to finish in the Premier League’s top four to save their season under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, as attention turns to who the club will appoint as their next permanent boss in the summer.

Pochettino and Ten Hag have been leading candidates for the position, although Spain manager Luis Enrique and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti have also been linked, but both coaches would need to be prised away from their current roles.

Pochettino is facing an uncertain future at Paris Saint-Germain after the French side suffered an embarrassing collapse at Real Madrid, while Ten Hag’s Ajax team were beaten by Benfica on Tuesday to also drop out of the competition.

But despite Ajax’s exit, Carragher believes that Ten Hag is the right man for the task of turning United around as the Dutchman has experience in “building a team”.

Speaking of their respective Champions League results this season, Carragher said: “I think it’s damaged Mauricio Pochettino more than the Ajax manager because the team they had, the situation they found themselves in that game and you’re actually looking at his management as one of the reasons why they went out.

“When you look at Ajax, yes, obviously dominant within their league. But what he’s done in