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Manchester United s decision to sack Jose Mourinho has left them with two positions to fill.

The club have already stated they will name a temporary manager until the end of the season, giving them time to find a full-time successor.

The short-term role is a difficult one, as they will need to provide stability to a fractured dressing room while knowing the club are lining up someone else behind the scenes.

It is likely to be someone with a connection to the club. Here, we consider five men who could take over at Old Trafford on a deal until June 2019.

Laurent Blanc

Mourinho s power struggle with Paul Pogba has been a near-constant soap opera ever since the France midfielder arrived at United for what was a world record £89million in August 2016. …

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker:

In what could be an action-packed Champions League showdown on Wednesday night, Barcelona will make the trip over to Italy when they meet Napoli.

Napoli

Starting with the hosts, while Napoli might have made real Serie A history last season as they claimed a first domestic crown since 1990, the Azzuri have come crashing back down to earth this time around. Failing to pick up any kind of momentum over the weekend as they had to settle for a 1-1 stalemate at home against Genoa, it is no secret that Walter Mazzarri has a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. Coming under a ton of scrutiny this year and remarkably holding just a three-point buffer from slipping out the top-half of the Serie A table, the former Watford boss has seen his …

Barcelona defender Dani Alves said there is no such thing as luck as he saluted fierce rivals Real Madrid s remarkable late comeback win against Manchester City.

The Spanish champions edged an epic semi-final with City 6-5 on aggregate on Wednesday to set up a showdown with Liverpool – a repeat of the 2018 final – in Paris on May 28.

Rodrygo scored twice in the space of 91 seconds to salvage extra time for Madrid, who trailed 5-3 on aggregate with less than a minute of normal time remaining.

Karim Benzema s penalty in the additional period sealed Los Blancos passage through to a record-extending 17th European Cup/Champions League final, which is six more than any other team.

It is the third knockout round in a row that Carlo Ancelotti s men, who secur…

Thiago Motta appears set to become the new Genoa head coach following the departure of Aurelio Andreazzoli.

The Serie A side announced they had sacked Andreazzoli on Tuesday, two days after a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Parma left them 19th in the table.

In the next few hours, news on the make-up of the technical staff will be announced and a presentation news conference will be held for the media, Genoa said in a statement.

Motta is expected to be named as Andreazzoli s replacement in what would be his first head coach job since he retired from playing in 2018.

The former Italy international has been coaching the Paris Saint-Germain Under-19s side since ending his playing career with the Ligue 1 champions.

Motta won league titles and the Champ…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 2/3 @

In what is set to be a heavyweight Championship showdown on Friday night, Leeds will welcome Leicester to Elland Road.

Starting with the hosts, last seen putting in another professional display as they secured a 2-0 victory away at Plymouth, Leeds are in the midst of a stellar purple patch this season. Riding what has been an extended wave of momentum Daniel Farke has continued to receive a string of praise since arriving in Yorkshire last summer. Although the Whites might have signed off 2023 with back-to-back Championship defeats, the former Norwich boss has seen his squad come roaring back in a remarkable fashion. Winning 10 of their previous 11 straight appearances across all competitions, Leeds have also gained a fear…

Lyon are interested in signing Said Benrahma from West Ham United in the January transfer window, according to . The report in the French publication has claimed that Lyon have made contact regarding a deal, and Benrahma is open to joining the Ligue 1 club.

Benrahma had a loan spell at West Ham from Brentford in 2020-21 before making the deal permanent. The 28-year-old Algeria international, who can operate as a winger or as an attacking midfielder, has made four starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Hammers this season, providing one assist in the process. He has also given one assist in four starts and one substitute appearance in the UEFA Europa League.

Lyon are struggling at the moment. They are as low as 15th in the Ligue 1 table wit…

Mikel Arteta gave a more positive outlook on Arsenal s season after victory over West Brom secured a third straight win and moved his side to within six points of the top four.

Just 10 days after West Brom coach Sam Allardyce claimed Arsenal were absolutely in a relegation battle, the Gunners swept the former England manager s struggling outfit aside to climb 12 points clear of the drop zone.

The Baggies were no match for the team Allardyce had considered their rivals to beat the drop, conceding sublime first-half strikes to Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka and then a clumsy second-half brace to Alexandre Lacazette.

While West Brom became the first team to lose consecutive Premier League home games by at least four goals since Wigan Athletic in 2010, Arsenal clai…

Tributes to Samuel Eto o have flooded in after the four-time African Player of the Year called time on his glittering playing career.

Eto o signalled his intention to retire from the game in an Instagram post on Friday, in which he said: THE END, TOWARDS A NEW CHALLENGE.

The 38-year-old, who played for the likes of Real Mallorca, Barcelona, Inter and Chelsea, enjoyed a trophy-laden 22 years in the game.

His many achievements included back-to-back trebles with Barca and Inter between in 2009 and 2010. After helping Barcelona win LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, he joined Inter and starred in Jose Mourinho s team as they lifted the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

He also won the Champions League with Barca in 200…

Hit with an infamous away at Crystal Palace on Monday night, Manchester United find themselves at the heart of a public Premier League nightmare.

With it now appearing increasingly likely that will be removed from his position in the Old Trafford dugout at the end of the season, United have a major rebuild on their hands during the summer transfer window.

Now facing a real uphill battle in their bid to book a top-six finish over the final fortnight, the Premier League giants have continued to gain a reputation for their glaring defensive issues.

With the likes of former Real Madrid ace set to leave the red half of Manchester on a free transfer this summer, we have taken a look at some of the defensive stars that could be at the heart of United’s rebuild.