38
Julen Lopetegui is “licking his lips” at the prospect of being the next manager of Manchester United.
The former coach of Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano is currently unemployed, having left Wolverhampton Wanderers after nine months due to differences with the board.
However, according to Estadio Deportivo, the former Real Madrid and Barcelona goalkeeper is “in no hurry” to look for another job.
“He does not want to get on any ‘ship’ and, in the meantime, he continues to reside in England waiting for events,” the outlet states.
The Spanish newspaper reports that “his phone has not stopped ringing with offers from different parts of the world,” but he says that he is holding out in the hope of being appointed to an “elite English club,” specifically, United.
Lopetegui, says Estadio, is “licking his lips at the possibility of reaching the Old Trafford bench.”
Money is not a motivation and that is why he rejected an offer of 18 million euros to manage the Saudi team Al Ittihad.
The controversial report says it is only a matter of time before Erik ten Hag receives his Old Trafford exit from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS, who will take control of the club’s football operations following their 25% investment.
Estadio insists that Ten Hag will be the “first link to fall” under the management of INEOS as he “does not have the support of the team’s heavyweights.”
Lopetegui is said to be “valued” by the powers that be at Old Trafford and “ahead of names like De Zerbi or Graham Potter”.
It is a bold statement on the part of the outlet, given that the Basque countryman’s career has been stable rather than spectacular.
Age is also not on his side as his 58th birthday approaches.
On the other hand, a steady pair of hands and immediate availability could allow him to settle in on an interim basis should United suspend Ten Hag’s tenure and, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can attest, a successful interim appointment can be a great springboard. to a permanent one.
