The key question Manchester United should be asking in manager interviews

It feels fitting that Manchester United have stepped up the interview process to appoint their next manager in the week when The Apprentice final airs, given so many events at Old Trafford in recent years have felt like they've been scripted especially for TV.

The reality TV series recruits for a new addition every year and the way they've been going since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement nine years ago United are only marginally less prolific employers.

But there's a sense that this decision is the most important yet for the Old Trafford hierarchy, with chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough now in the decision-making chairs. After a season that promised so much but has turned into a nightmare, the appointment of the next manager has to be with a long-term plan for success in mind.

READ MORE: United plan further talks following Ten Hag interview

The pressure in modern football, especially at the highest level, encourages short-termism and United are too big to simply write off a season or two in the pursuit of a more stable strategy, but Arnold and Murtough must pick a man and back them. They have to get this right.

The difficulty with that is that there is no standout candidate, despite the legion of fans Erik ten Hag has on social media. The 52-year-old is considered by many to be the next big thing in coaching, despite being older than Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola and with a good but hardly flawless resume.

Ten Hag has already been interviewed for the job and Pochettino is expected to follow, while Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique aren't out of contention.

Last month Gary Neville pinpointed what he felt United needed, but the task is a daunting one for whoever gets the