World-leading coach strongly backed to become next permanent Man Utd manager, with Barcelona duo touted as first signings

Barcelona icon Xavi has been heavily backed to become the permanent manager of Manchester United next summer after one expert branded him a “realistic option” and with a pair of squad stars from the LaLiga giants tipped to become his first signings at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils are to get their post-Ruben Amorim era underway on Wednesday night when they take on Burnley at Turf Moor, just over 48 hours after the Portuguese coach was unceremoniously dumped by Manchester United .

After embarking on an explosive rant after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Leeds, the club will have felt they had little choice but to wield the axe, though the truth of the matter is that the writing had long been on the wall, given persistent disagreements over tactics, formations and transfer budgets to bring the Portuguese’s divisive 3-4-2-1 system to life.

As they enter a new era, United will have Darren Fletcher in interim charge, though there is a strong possibility that his time in charge will be brief amid confirmation that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to return to the club on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Promising a return to a 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 attacking set-up, it’s already claimed that Solskjaer has his eyes on taking the Red Devils job for a second time on a permanent basis .

However, it seems United officials have other ideas and our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher claims Oliver Glasner – out of contract at Selhurst Park in the summer – is very much the club’s top choice.

Indeed, the Austrian is understood to have been made aware the axe was falling for Amorim well in advance , according to our sources.

In addition to Glasner, Fletcher has also revealed that Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi, who has admirers in the boardroom at Old Trafford, has made it clear he would be open to the job if offered it .

However, European football expert, Kevin Hatchard has described Xavi as the more realistic option for United, talking up his credentials for the job and explaining why he is primed to become the next permanent manager at Old Trafford.

In addition to that, reports in Spain are also backing the 45-year-old’s credentials, and have also claimed he will look to make Gavi and Marc Bernal his first signings for the club.

According to the report in Spain, Xavi is now considered a ‘leading candidate’ to become United’s next manager – a claim that Hatchard has had no hesitation in endorsing.

“I think Xavi is a realistic option. You’re talking about a guy that has won titles with Barcelona and has the gravitas that comes from being one of the best midfielders of his generation,” Hatchard told Sky Sports News .

“There’s an irony about him being linked to Man Utd because why he ultimately left Barcelona was because he spoke up publicly about the club’s financial situation and about whether the club could continue to be competitive with the financial restrictions they had.

“He speaks good English and he’s a football obsessive, so I think he’d be an interesting candidate, but he wouldn’t be someone who would just go along with what the club necessarily wanted.

“He likes to play 4-3-3, he was the one who pushed Lamine Yamal originally and wingers are very important in his style.

“I think Man Utd fans would like the football, I think they’d like the dynamic nature of it, but there are a few hoops to jump through to bring him in.”

Championing those claims, reports in Spain claim Xavi is ready to request the signings of both Gavi and Marc Bernal , who he plans to turn into ‘key players with great potential at his Manchester United’.

21-year-old Gavi has made 155 appearances since debuting for Barcelona in the 2021/22 campaign and is regarded as one of the best young midfielders in Spain, despite losing his way somewhat in recent times.

The report adds that Xavi has ‘always been a staunch supporter of Gavi’ and, with ‘his role at Barca now no longer as prominent’ he is ‘convinced he can unleash his full potential and become one of the most dominant midfielders in the league.’

On Bernal, the report adds that the young midfielder is one of the ‘great promises of the Barcelona youth academy’, but his current situation ‘doesn’t allow him to get the necessary playing time to develop at the pace his talent demands’.

The report claims Bernal is seen as a ‘modern defensive midfielder, capable of organising the team, providing balance, and leading from the back.’

In the wake of all the speculation over a new manager, a report claims Sir Jim Ratcliffe has an entirely different idea to the rest of the board and has his own dream candidate in mind .

Meanwhile, in the wake of Amorim’s departure, Kobbie Mainoo is now set to STAY at Old Trafford, with a trusted source revealing the shockingly low fee Manchester United were previously willing to sell him for .

It also emerged earlier on Tuesday that Mainoo was among six players Amorim badly upset during his tumultuous spell. Indeed, it has even been suggested that Lisandro Martinez squared up to the coach in training.