Chelsea eye Andoni Iraola after Liam Rosenior sacking to leave Man Utd with dilemma

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Chelsea have dismissed Liam Rosenior with Andoni Iraola among the favourites to replace him - leaving Manchester United with a decision to make.

The Blues have got rid of a second manager in a season having also moved on Enzo Maresca in January. Rosenior then lasted four months and the under fire Stamford Bridge hierarchy are having to scour the coaching market yet again. Their set-up, structure and strategy has divided opinion, and ultimately not bought in the desired results, but they are still in for some big name managers. Iraola is very much a coach on the up and will be available come the summer having announced his Bournemouth exit.

His stock has risen and risen and he could yet lead the Cherries into Europe. He'll be on the market in a matter of weeks and had been among the frontrunners for the job on the red side of Manchester.

The Red Devils axed Ruben Amorim in January and bought in Michael Carrick until the end of the season. His results have made him hard to ignore, but United have yet to decide whether or not to keep him long-term of look elsewhere. If Iraola was on their shortlist, they now face competition.

Iraola has given little away regarding his next move. Reports have linked him with a return to Spain, potentially to Athletic Bilbao, but remaining in the Premier League is also an option. Despite their well documented struggles in recent years both Chelsea and United remain jobs that are sought after.

Chelsea themselves have put Calum McFarlane in charge until the end of the season, when they will seek a permanent boss. The criticism of appointing Rosenior was that he was not a big enough name to command the dressing room, whereas Iraola is highly thought of.

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The Blues, irrespective of how McFarlane does until the end of the season, with the club still in FA Cup contention, will look elsewhere for their next boss. The situation in Manchester is not as clear cut with the club still open to the idea of giving Carrick the job long-term.

Stalling could ultimately cost them Iraola, if that is the man they want, with Chelsea's next step clear. Several of the managers linked with the United hotseat have either ruled themselves out or are unavailable. Thomas Tuchel has signed a new contract with England and Luis Enrique is poised to extend his deal with PSG .

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