Publications
Partners
Manchester - Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal was quickly installed as the bookmakers' favourite to succeed David Moyes as Manchester United manager after the English Premier League club announced the end of the Scot's ill-fated spell in charge on Tuesday.
Van Gaal, who has coached Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich in a distinguished career, has already said he will step down from the national team after the World Cup in July and had been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
But the 62-year-old was priced as short as 7/4 with some British bookmakers to move to Old Trafford after Moyes was shown the door with the defending champions seventh in the table, 23 points behind leaders Liverpool with four games remaining.
United have never appointed a manager from outside Britain or Ireland but Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was the widespread second favourite to replace Moyes, who signed a six-year contract when he took over from Alex Ferguson in the close season.
German Klopp, 46, has won admirers for his work in Germany where he led Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and took the team to a Champions League final last year only to lose 2-1 to domestic rivals Bayern Munich.
He was priced at 9/2 just ahead of United's 40-year-old midfielder and assistant coach Ryan Giggs, who British media tipped to take over on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, who has led the Spanish side to top of the La Liga table and a Champions League semifinal this season, was fourth favourite alongside Ferguson, who enjoyed 26 trophy-laden years in charge before retirement in May.
Ferguson's former assistant and now Iran boss Carlos Queiroz was priced at 16/1 with ex-United players Eric Cantona and David Beckham rated at 250/1 longshots.
The new manager needs to undertake a major rebuilding job at the club, having to replace a large number of ageing players while facing at least a season without Champions League football.
Odds for next Manchester United manager
5/2 - Louis van Gaal
4/1 - Jurgen Klopp
11/2- Ryan Giggs
10/1 - Alex Ferguson
14/1 - Carlos Quieroz
16/1 - Diego Simeone
20/1 - Antonio Conte
20/1 - Fabio Capello
20/1 - Laurent Blanc
25/1 - Guus Hiddink
25/1 - Carlo Ancelotti
25/1 - Frank de Boer
33/1 - Pep Guardiola
33/1 - Roberto Martinez
33/1 - Maricio Pochettino
33/1 - Gary Neville
40/1 - Jose Mourinho
40/1 - Michael Laudrup
50/1 - Marco Bielsa
50/1 - Andre Villas Boas
66/1 - Brendan Rodgers
66/1 - Cesare Prandelli
66/1 - Ole Gunnar Solksjaer
80/1 - Mark Hughes
These odds, supplied by British bookmaker William Hill, for the Manchester United manager on the first day of next season.
