LONDON: Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte are among the top candidates to replace Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The board of directors at Old Trafford now wants to ascertain whether former Real Madrid manager Zidane and former Chelsea manager Conte – both now unemployed – are interested in the post.

Well -known agents have already been instructed to contact the big names, with Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag and Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers – a former Liverpool manager – on the list.

As United desperately tried to keep Solskjaer, they were unable to turn a blind eye to a string of bland results and declining team performances.

The 5-0 defeat at the hands of traditional foe Liverpool at home was the culmination of United’s failures reinforced by Cristiano Ronaldo this season.

They are currently seventh in the Premier League – eight points behind leaders Chelsea – after picking up just one of the last 12 points offered.