Ralf Rangnick all but RULED OUT of running to be permanent Man Utd boss with Pochettino and Ten Hag in the frame

RALF RANGNICK has all but been ruled out of the running to become the next Manchester United boss.

And that opens the door to Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag of Ajax to take over.

The club revealed they are stepping up its search for a long-term replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who walked away with around £8million after being sacked in November.

Rangnick is in interim charge but as United revealed their latest accounts, he hardly got a vote of confidence when it came to a statement about finding a new man.

The German, 63, already has a two-year consultancy deal at Old Trafford on the table come the end of the season — but almost certainly not the opportunity to remain in charge of the team.

Football director John Murtough said: “We are now conducting a thorough process for the appointment of a permanent manager who will take charge this summer with the objective to get us back to challenging for domestic and European titles.”

Ex-Spurs chief Pochettino, 50 on Wednesday, is favourite for the role having been targeted in the wake of Solskjaer’s axing.

But Rangnick has spoken in glowing terms of Ten Hag, 52, following five successful years in Amsterdam.

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Whoever takes the hotseat will be under pressure to deliver.

Murtough added: “We know that consistency is key as we strive for a top-four finish this season.

“I want to reiterate, however, that this is not the ultimate objective for Manchester United — and everyone at the club is focused on challenging for the top trophies.”

New chief executive Richard Arnold said: “We have a clear vision and we are implementing a strategy to win with an empowered leadership team to drive that forward.”

United, who saw revenue grow by 7.3 per cent in the final three months of 2021, revealed £10m had been paid for “exceptional items” — most of which was Solskjaer’s pay-off.

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