Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment has bought Manchester United six months in which to appoint a new permanent manager. In his first press conference, the Norwegian admitted he hopes he'll be in the reckoning when that decision is made. "I understand there are so many managers that would love to be manager of Manchester United," he told the assembled media. "I am one of them, but it is not something we have talked about."In turning to the legendary striker, Ed Woodward has shown he is willing to think outside the conventional candidates. However, come the end of the season, there are only two names being talked about with any real conviction: Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino. Zizou has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, whereas it would cost United upwards of £40million to land Pochettino. There is no release clause in the contract the Argentine signed with Tottenham in May. The 46-year-old, who is still seeking his first silverware in management, remains a popular choice among much of the Old Trafford faithful because of his extraordinary work in north London, transforming the Lilywhites from Europa League also-rans into title contenders and Champions League regulars. 

Carragher has a 'reality check' for Tottenham fans 

Daniel Levy will just hope that such progress, along with the emotional connection of leading Spurs into their new stadium, will be enough to keep the former Espanyol and Southampton coach.

Then there is the question of whether the man himself would want to leave - and Jamie Carragher has sought to answer it with his latest Telegraph column. 

"If Mauricio Pochettino is offered the Manchester United job, he has to take it," Carragher writes.

"That is a hard for Tottenham Hotspur supporters to accept. Sadly for them, it is inevitable that they are prey to a more powerful Premier League rival.

"Spurs are not Manchester United. They will never be a big as Manchester United."

It's only been a matter of days, but this speculation is beginning to infuriate Spurs fans - and one took matters into his own hands by responding to Carragher with a tweet he knew would provoke a reaction.

Spurs fan hits back at Carragher 

The supporter wrote: 

"Unbelievable that this guy is given these platforms to push his destabilising agenda. Why would Utd not go for Klopp @Carra23 ??? Manchester United are and always will be a bigger club than Liverpool."

Within a matter of minutes, Carragher shut him down: 

"A manager of Liverpool wouldn’t go & vice versa because of the rivalry. We don’t even buy/sell players to each other never mind managers!" Carragher replied. 

It's very hard to argue with Carragher's point when it's not really about the size of clubs, but the obstacles between United and their next permanent manager. 

That said, Pochettino is far from a shoe-in, given that two years ago he changed his title at Spurs to 'manager' from 'head coach' to gain more responsibility. 

That would be difficult to balance at United, where they are set to introduce a new director of football and are continuing to redefine the various senior roles at the club. 

Pochettino does not have an agent which makes it all the more difficult to predict what the future holds for him - only a very select few close to him will have any idea. 

Until Mourinho has been properly replaced, the rumours are unlikely to die down. 

Would Pochettino leave Tottenham for Man United? Have your say in the comments.