Some of the Manchester United players reportedly know that Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone will be their next coach after Louis van Gaal.
Although former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had been the frontrunner for the post at Old Trafford, several sources have insisted that it is Simeone who is most likely to replace Van Gaal, as reported by The Sun.
“All the betting may be on Mourinho coming in but the talk among the players is all about Simeone,” a source told the publication.
While it remains to be seen whether or not the 45-year-old is indeed in line to move to Manchester, it is unclear as to when the Premier League giants will make their change.
Van Gaal has struggled in recent weeks as United have crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages and have now dropped out of the top four in the Premier League after an eight-game winless streak in all competitions.
The Dutchman’s contract expires in 2017, but such is the seriousness of United’s plight currently, the club could be forced into making a move sooner rather than later in order to salvage something from their season.
However, Van Gaal will have been boosted by his side’s performance against Chelsea, as they had the Old Trafford faithful firmly behind them as they attacked with intent and looked a completely different side to the one that had been struggling to carve open goalscoring opportunities in the weeks before.
Nevertheless, given Simeone’s record at Atleti where he has most notably won a La Liga title and taken the club to the Champions League final, the Argentinian would arguably be a perfect appointment for the club with reports in Spain suggesting that he would be willing to listen to offers, as noted by The Sun.
SEE MORE:
Van Gaal issues Man United warning
Man United close in on exciting first signing of 2016
Man United scouts watch in-form Premier League star