Manchester United will not be rushed into making a decision about their next permanent manager, according to football director John Murtough.
United have appointed Ralf Rangnick as interim coach while they search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's long-term successor.
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Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag are among the options being considered but Murtough said United will take their time. Rangnick has already said he could recommend that he stays in charge for another year if the right candidate is not available in the summer.
"Out of respect for Ole, we did not approach other managers before he left," Murtough told a fans' forum. "Our plan then was to appoint an experienced interim manager and Ralf was our clear first choice.
"He's someone I have admired for a long time, and we're delighted he's here. By bringing in Ralf, we can now take time to run a thorough process for our next permanent manager.
"Recruiting a manager is one of the most important decisions a football club makes so we want to do it in a careful and considered fashion."
Solskjaer was dismissed in November following a disastrous 4-1 result to Watford. Pressure had already mounted on the Norwegian after heavy defeats to Leicester City, Liverpool and Manchester City but Murtough said United bosses still believed Solskjaer could turn things around after the November international break.
"There were grounds for confidence that we were going to continue building on the progress we saw in the prior two seasons," he said. "After the promising early-season results, things went off plan.
"As a club, we felt Ole had earned the right to be given the chance to turn things round, but didn't get a reaction after the international break, and the Watford game made it clear change was needed.
"We're all disappointed at Ole's departure, but he deserves to be judged on his record over the past three years, not his last few weeks. He re-set the club's culture and reshaped the squad, leaving us in a stronger position today than when he returned in 2018."